Red Tape
by LadyCeruleanBlue
Summary: Garrus Vakarian is a tough C-Sec Officer with a mission - to find and persecute Saren Arterius. Too bad he's lost another partner...that is, until Executor Pallin sticks a human female on his patrol. Now he's stuck with the sole survivor of Akuze and has no clue how to deal with her!
1. Partners

**This story is a mixture of my love for cop dramas and Mass Effect. Somehow, this became the love baby of both! Eventually, this will include all three games, but before that, we need to get around all of that Red Tape. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or anything related therein.**

* * *

**Partners**

He was late, his head hurt, and he wanted to murder Chellik.

Not only was the bare-faced turian the reason for his being late, but the traitor was talking up Executor Pallin for the promotion to the Investigation Branch position. He knew that the rookies were in as well, and the damned turian was probably having his pick of the best new recruits for his section of the Wards while Garrus was running around like a pyjak with its head cut off.

For once, he wanted a day where everything could go right. He didn't want his omni-tool hacked, he didn't want to get into a firefight in the wards, and he _definitely_ didn't want a recruit that wouldn't watch his six. _Not today_, Garrus thought with a growl, running a hand over his fringe.

By the time he made it to the office, already running thirty minutes late, he saw Chellik shaking hands with Pallin and smirking. There was a line of eager but subdued recruits standing to the side. Some were obviously hung over from the night before. Others looked tired, as if they hadn't been able to sleep.

Well, Garrus had gotten _plenty_ of sleep thanks to the pyjak of a turian who had once been his partner. He figured that he should just sleep in the office and he'd never be late again. _Or have my omni-tool hacked to keep my alarm from going off._

He finally walked into C-Sec and stood at attention as Pallin looked at him from the side. The Executor looked disappointed, but he didn't say anything. Instead he turned to the recruits. "Now that we're all _here_," he said with a wry look at Garrus, "I want to say welcome to Citadel Security Services. There are six divisions that you will eventually be sorted into—Enforcement, Network, Investigations, Customs, Patrol, and Special Responses. You are one of two-hundred-thousand constables, working to..."

It felt like Garrus had heard this hundreds of times. He stood and looked at the recruits instead of listening to the speech that he could probably recite in his sleep. Most were turians, all fresh off of their fifteen years of military service on Pavalen and ready to serve on the relatively safe Citadel. They respected authority and relished following orders.

Sometimes those orders grated on Garrus. He knew that he had to abide by the law, but criminals walked all over the fine line he had to follow and left dirty scuff prints on the path. All he wanted to do was to rid the world of criminals, no matter the cost. But there were rules against that and, once again, he was stuck at his desk doing paperwork.

Or, in this case, looking at fresh meat that was coming into C-Sec. He was surprised to see _four_ humans out of the thirty recruits. Usually it was zero to two, but four was an uncommon number. If he'd actually read up on their dossiers, he might actually know why there were so many and what made them so special.

"So you all swear?" Pallin asked, looking at all of them with a raised carapace.

"Yes, sir!" they answered simultaneously, saluting with precision. Garrus's ears picked up one higher-pitched voice out of the thirty, and looked to see a tall, willowy female standing in the front of the three lines. She was one of the humans.

"Many of you will start off on the Presidium, as tradition to break you in," Pallin said slowly, finally stopping the pacing that usually accompanied his large speeches. "But a few of you have caught my interest. You will be placed with an Officer and taught with a hands-on approach. You will still be in Probational Status, but you will be afforded certain perks." He gave the closest human smirk a turian could give, showing off razor-sharp, pointed teeth. Garrus noted that the female human looked uncomfortable and put that away for future use. "Will Sergeant Haron, Second Lieutenant Luna-Galván, and Officer Vakarian meet in my office? The rest of you follow your designated Officer and keep the Citadel safe. Dismissed."

Garrus, appalled at the fact that he was getting called to his superior's office, tightened his facial plates and gave an intimidating glare to Chellik. The bare-face just smirked and led out some of the finest turian soldiers Garrus had seen in a while. Now, instead of having his pick, he was following a green-tattooed turian and the human female! She received part of his glare and once again looked uncomfortable but hid it well.

Pallin sat down at his desk, hands folded in front of him as the four of them stood. The female, much shorter than the males in the room, looked professional and controlled, even betwixt four predatory aliens. "I have called the three of you in here for a reason."

Garrus, never one to back talk a superior officer, thought, _You don't say?_

"Haron," Pallin said, "you were part of the squad that secured away Elysium. I read your reports and they were rather...disconcerting. I want you in the Investigative Branch working alongside Detective Chellik, using the same skill set you learned while on that mission." Sergeant Haron's face plates rose in the universal sign of surprise. "Dismissed."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." This was said in a rather confused voice, but the turian turned on his heels and left the room. Garrus had never felt such anger. _Chellik is already Detective?! In the few moments I wasn't here, Chellik swooped in for the kill..._

Pallin waited for the 'whoosh' of the doors to close before he continued. "Second Lieutenant," the Executor said, making the woman straighten a little more as he closed his eyes for a moment, "your credentials were...impressive, to say the least."

Next to him, the woman relaxed a little. Garrus couldn't see how this woman could do anything and tried to picture her holding a gun, only to see it fall from her arms because she couldn't lift it properly. She would break so easily!

"Thank you, sir," she said in a voice that was low and flat, without gravel or huskiness. It wasn't annoying and high-pitched like most female humans he'd met before. But it lacked the harmonics of a turian.

"You and three others were the only survivors on Akuze." Garrus's face registered surprised as he looked down to the wisp of a woman next to him. _This woman took on Thresher Maws? This is the woman who survived, dragging three starving pilgrims all over the desert before killing the last Maw with a Grenade Launcher?_ She looked grim and stared out the window behind Pallin's shoulder. Pallin spoke again and she finally opened her eyes, but she would not look at him. "You saved those pioneers."

"I lost fifty fellow marines and over one-hundred pioneers," she said softly, her eyes partially glazed over. "Pardon me, I don't count that as a save, sir." Garrus's eyes flickered over the two golden bars on her collar, signaling her rank. _She's too young to have gotten those without having been in battle. I've been told not to judge a book by its cover, but I could break this female with a squeeze of my arms. A Thresher Maw would decimate her._

"Many good men and women were lost that day," Pallin said just as softly, "but it still shows your ability to survive. You completed your mission in the end." Suddenly he turned the conversation around to Garrus. "Vakarian, I realize that you have once again lost your partner?"

Garrus's heart jumped to his throat because he knewwhere this was going. _I am not going to have this human as my partner!_ "Yes, sir. He was shot last week and is still healing."

"Very well. Luna-Galván, I am putting you directly onto Enforcement Duty, with Officer Vakarian as your partner."

"_What?!_" they both yelled at the same time, looking at each other incredulously. She looked downright desperate not to be in this situation. Garrus was more _furious—_he didn't need to be made a laughing stock of because his partner was some female human! Even if she was the 'Sole Survivor' of Akuze, there was no way he was going to be her partner!

"No disrespect, _sir_," the woman said between clenched teeth, "but my skills would be better served in the Network branch or even Special Response. My tech is _wasted_ in Enforcement and Investigations."

The Executor just looked at her with piercing eyes, the silence filling the air as the woman realized her mistake and went back to attention. He obviously wasn't used to someone questioning him or arguing back. "I don't expect another outburst against my authority again. Do you understand me, Luna?"

"Loud and clear, sir," she said indignantly, not meeting her superior's eyes.

_This will be interesting,_ Garrus thought as he looked at her. He wasn't used to anyone wanting to break free from the regs, or anyone wanting to speak back to a superior.

Suddenly Pallin turned to him. "Garrus, I know you've been pushing for a promotion to Investigation. This is your chance to show me what you've got. Your next assignment is on your desk. You get me that proof and I'll promote the both of you to your preferred branch. Luna, your desk is behind his. Dismissed."

Garrus immediately turned and stormed out of the Executor's office, unsure if he should be angry or furious. He had no clue who this woman was and he sure as hell wasn't looking for a green recruit to train while on the job. He'd expected to get saddled with another turian, or even an experienced human for Pavalen's sake, not some wisp of a human that looked ready to break in half if he nudged her the wrong way! This was not the female who survived on Akuze!

He now stood in the middle of the C-Sec office, which was empty but for Heron, two human males, and two other turians, and was looking down on "Luna-Galván." She was very tall for a woman of Earth. She seemed all bones, though, nothing else on her scrawny frame except small bumps on her rear and chest. Her skin was dark and smooth as though it were dark satin. Only one scar marred her face and it was a curving slash that cut her left eyebrow in half.

Even though she was tall, she still had to look up at him. Her face was all soft curves, with a small nose, full "lips," and big, chocolate brown eyes that were hooded with tasteful smokey shadow. He didn't know what was attractive to a human man, but many of the men in the room were looking at her. He did have to admit that she smelled good, like gun polish and some kind of musk. But that was as far as the attraction went. He didn't have a human fetish.

"_Pues bien, _I guess we're partners," she said conversationally. She was putting up her fringe. It was long and wavy, colored a dull brown, the same as the two thin lines of hair above her eyes. She was twisting it in complicated ways that looked as though it would hurt before she tied it off at the end. It dangled down her back in a tail.

He wondered vaguely about the first words she'd spoken. They'd been different than human Standard, but his translator had still translated it. But he didn't care at the moment. He was too furious for words.

She sighed and skirted past him, moving over to her desk. "Just what I wanted," she muttered under her breath, starting to organize her own things on the desk. Garrus would have lashed back, but when he was angry, he didn't feel much like talking. Instead, he wanted to hit something. And, since she looked like she would break if he even touched her, he knew that it wouldn't be her.

He bitterly moved over to his desk, sitting down and turning his back to her. The dossier was sitting prettily on his desk, with a large _CLASSIFIED _written across the top in red ink. He raised his eye plate and opened the seal to the manilla envelope. Suddenly the woman was standing next to him, leaning her hip on the side of his desk as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, what's our mission?"

"You mean _my_ mission. This is for _my_ promotion. You're still on Probational Status."

The woman, his _partner_, sneered and planted both of her hands on his desk, leaning in to him, effectively making him look her straight in the eye. "Look, I didn't ask for this either. You heard what Pallin said. This is on _both _of our heads. I planned on being in Network, but Investigation is damn fine with me, and you aren't going to hold me back by keeping me in the dark, _comprende?_"

She'd said this low, but Garrus looked around to make sure that no one had heard him being chewed out by a female human. "Look, human—"

She gave him a disgusted look. "It's Second Lieutenant Mía Luna-Bailey, not _human. _Call me Mía, call me Luna, I don't care. You don't see me calling you 'turian!'"

"_Luna_._" _Her very-human name rolled disgustingly off his tongue. "I'm not going to have some green recruit ruin my investigation. This is my only chance."

"Yeah, well this is my only chance, too." At this, the human clenched her jaw and turned her eyes way from him. "So, what's this assignment?"

Garrus was glad that there weren't many people in the room. Actually, he was happier that there were at least a few. Now he had a reason not to throw her through the wall. "I was just getting to that."

For once, she was quiet as she watched his foretalon rip open the top of the envelope. He enjoyed seeing her squirm uncomfortably at the sight of his predatory nature. Slowly, Garrus pulled out the information. Both of them looked at each other in confusion.

_Formal Investigation into the Activities of Specter Saren Arterius_

_Charges - Treason_

_Prepared by: _**Captain David Anderson**

_Approved by: _**Councilor Sparatus**

"This is an impossible mission," she whispered, her eyes narrowed. "There's no way we'll be able to find anything on a _Spectre!_" Her dark brown eyes, once rather dull, were now filled with fury as she slapped her hand on his desk. "This is my only shot and it's ruined from the first day!"

Garrus wanted to tell her she was wrong about automatically giving up, but he knew that she was right. There was no way that they would find any information on Saren. Every mission that he would have been in would be classified. "Whatever it is, we've got to work on it. If a Spectre has gone bad, that's all I need to know. We'll figure it out." _For my job._

"Why would the turian Councilor give the approval for this investigation?" she asked aloud, rubbing her chin with a small, frail, too-many-fingered human hand. "He's the one who put Saren in for Spectre Training."

_At least she knows what she's talking about,_ Garrus thought with a sigh. "Who knows with politicians." He rifled through the information on the data pad, trying to find where to start. He then looked at the top once more. "In the next few days, I'm going to visit Captain Anderson, get his take on all of this."

"What about me?" Mía asked with a raised eyeplate...if that's what it was. It looked like a little line of fur. "I'm not just going to sit and do paperwork."

"Well then, you joined the wrong job," Garrus bit back, glaring at her once more. He didn't want a human on this case. She probably thought that all turians were human-hating fanatics, ready to kill on sight. And, since this was a Spectre, she probably thought even worse of all this. "Now start _doing_ your job and get me some information."

There was a moment pause as she straightened, looking behind him at her desk. "Where should I start?" she grumbled out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just find me _something_." Garrus wondered how he could have her sitting behind his desk for the rest of the investigation. Even her walking back, having the human males—and a few turian males—stare as she sauntered to her desk made him want to plant his face on the desk multiple times. He even tried to think positive. That _had_ been Chellik's desk—maybe it was an improvement.

The improvement lasted all of thirty seconds before she asked him how to sign in to her C-Sec account.

_This is going to be a _long_ investigation._


	2. Playing Nice

**One thing I felt necessary in this story was to tell the difference between turians and humans. They are both so different in so many ways... Moreso than most of the Garrus romance stories lead you to believe. Tell me if you love it or hate it, I enjoy all reviews!**

* * *

**Playing Nice****  
**

If I never had to see another turian in my lifetime, it wouldn't be soon enough.

Not only was my partner a turian, but he was a bad-tempered, late-to-the-party, hardly _working_ kind of partner. I had no clue what I was doing and he wasn't helping a damn bit. Not only could I not find anything, but he wasn't showing me any of what _he _was finding, which was probably nothing.

I was a _soldier_, not some newbie fresh from the Academy. I could shoot a Thresher's arm off from six hundred yards away and knew hand-to-hand like it was second nature. Something that should have given me more respect was the fact that the _turian counselor _had given me this chance. But my lackluster, stubborn turian partner wasn't going to give me anything, let alone respect.

On the third day in my new office, after leaving me without any guidance the two days before, he finally came up to me. At first I didn't acknowledge him and started straightening the pictures of _mi_ _abuela _and _mi papi_ on my desk, moving around the keyboard to my computer and dusting off a fake dust bunny.

"Cute," he said, glancing at _mi abuela_ before looking at me. "Do you ignore all turians, or is this silent treatment _just_ for me?"

Great, so he was a sarcastic turian, too. "Since you haven't bothered to tell me anything, I don't feel the need to speak to you." Finally I looked up at him. He was like normal turians, standing a little over six feet tall, with two long, proportionately thick fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand, each tipped with talons. He had the distinguishing metallic carapace, which was a result of turian evolution. Turian features were avian, making him resemble a humanoid bird or raptor, which was probably one of the reasons he freaked me out. His face was all harsh angles and points, with a set of mandibles around his mouth. I didn't know all about the facepaint of turians, but this one had dark blue markings that were a few shades darker than his light blue eyes.

_Strange,_ I thought as he pulled a chair up next to me, _I've never seen a turian with blue eyes._ A turian. My _partner_. Just the thought of it made me uncomfortable. I'd had that run in with a turian—specifically one from his government—on Arcturus Station where I'd grown up, and it hadn't been pretty. Now here I was with my partner. We'd been dodging each other for days, but I knew that we couldn't just ignore each other throughout the entire assignment.

So I sighed. "Look, I know that you don't like this. Neither do I. But we're not going to get very far if we don't work together. So," I said as I pulled out the data of what I'd found, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

The inappropriateness of what I said didn't hit me until Garrus's mandibles fluttered in what I guessed was a grin. I groaned and shook my head, trying to ignore it as best I could. "Yes, _ma'am_."

"Shut up, Vakarian," I mumbled, my cheeks red hot. Oh, and another thing that I hated? His voice. All turians had that extremely sexy, flanging voice that made a girl's knees go weak. It was so difficult not to let any of the male turian voices get to me while I was working. And I was _surrounded by them._ It was distracting, to say the least.

He gave a low rumble in his chest that I realized was a chuckle. It sounded strange, but I'd rather hear the rumble than the growl he'd been giving off a few days ago. "Let's go to the debriefing room for a little privacy," he said quietly, in that sexy voice, which made my heart flutter against my own will. And, of course, it'd been what he'd said, not just the voice.

I raised my eyebrow and, if turians could flush, he would be red—err, blue—all over. "Yes, _sir_."

"Shut up, Luna."

_Huh. Luna._ It was better than "human," at least.

**oOo**

Garrus was glad that the initial tension had waned. He didn't know if he could deal with her glaring into the back of his head anymore. He was also glad that she accepted sarcasm, even if he had been a little biting that morning. Oh, well. If she couldn't deal with his bad mood in the mornings, she couldn't be his partner.

She stood in front of the scanner to open the debriefing room, but the scanner turned red and hid itself. _"Unauthorized access," _the VI droned, making Garrus smirk. Mía flushed, looking a little more than upset. Garrus, starting to chuckle, gently nudged her out of the way, careful not to break her, and let the scanner go over his body. "_Access granted. Welcome, Officer Vakarian._"

He looked back at her and motioned her to go in before him. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, threw her head back, and tried to stride into the room with dignity. It didn't work.

"Probees can't use their identification to get into restricted areas," Garrus said as she sat her data pads and actual _paper_ onto the table. He wasn't sure of anyone who used paper anymore.

Mía's face was still red, ever since she'd said the double-meaning statement from earlier. It'd been rather funny, but he didn't quite understand what the change in color meant. He was determined to understand human emotions if it could get him a step up on her. "Well _now_ I know that. You're here to teach me, remember?"

No, he didn't remember that being part of the process. But he supposed that if he didn't teach her some of the unspoken things, she would get her head cut off. "Show me what you've found so far."

She nodded, her face suddenly flattening, her lips straight, her brow low. "I've found a few mentions of missions. Nothing big, but some things weren't hidden from a hacker's fingers."

Garrus wanted to smack his faceplates on the table. "_Please_ tell me that you didn't hack any of this information," he groaned, wondering if he really _should_ teach her something—hacking was a complete no-go. If he couldn't get the information legally, then this case would never go through. There were warrants that needed go through processing, witnesses that needed to be safeguarded...

"What? Oh, God, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. She was reddening again. "I've already gotten in trouble once for that, not happening again." He was going to ask when _exactly_ she'd been in trouble and why, but she continued right into her next sentence. "I asked Barla Von for some free information. He gave me the links and sources. Completely legal."

Garrus let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Good. That wouldn't have looked good in a Council hearing." Though how she knew where to find Barla Von was interesting. "How do you know Barla Von?" Information Broker. Better yet, how had she gotten _free_ information?

"He's one of C-Sec's informants. Wouldn't tell anyone that, though. I bought him dinner last night and he handed over some info that we wouldn't have otherwise." This woman was starting to intrigue him. "He's one interesting volus. Wouldn't trust him with my back turned, though. And his jokes? Bo-ring."

At least she had enough sense not to just trust the supposed Shadow-Broker agent. Hopefully she knew about that. But first, he needed to make sure she knew what she was talking about. "Before we start with that, I wanted to see if you knew even the basics on the Spectre."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Born in 2139, put into the military at age fifteen, like every other turian. Promoted to Active Service after only one year of training. Two years later, put into the Spectres. Anything else?"

Garrus was actually speechless. While he had been fiddling around to get interviews, she had been researching, planning, working on obtaining informative contacts... He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "No, go ahead."

"So here we go... In 2165, Saren was investigating an illegal arms dealing. He thought that...that the Alliance was doing something illegal." She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "He was after the Alliance?" She threw the information from her pad up onto the three dimensional hologram in the middle of the table, letting him see it. "And it says here that he was searching for something. Apparently a mercenary group called the Grim Skulls, consisting partly of humans, was buying stolen weapons from turian sellers. He wanted proof from them. There must be more to it than this."

The turian Agent frowned. "Saren would have taken that personally. Let's see here..." Garrus swiped through the information to an interesting tidbit he'd seen. "He wiped out all the mercenaries and sellers, then interrogated a sole survivor, who tried to bargain for his life with information. Saren learned that the weapons were originally intended for the Blue Suns, who were planning a major operation, but they pulled out at the last minute to avoid the attention of the Spectres." Garrus looked up at her, her face illuminated by the glow of the data pad, and squinted, trying to see behind her exterior facade. "And this is the _free_ information."

"It's nothing to incriminate Saren with," she said lowly, still not looking at him. Her eyes were narrowed as she read against the glare. "Just Spectre business. Barla Von isn't a fan of the Spectres, either. Its hard to get information on them. He told me that if we can incriminate Saren, then all of his misfortunes will come to light. Well, to the people who look for that kind of thing. So apparently I'm doing the volus a favor."

Garrus kept reading, suddenly interested in discovering what she had found. Apparently Saren had become interested in their activities, and tracked down a member of the Blue Suns, a batarian named Groto Ib-ba, cornering him at some upper-class brothel. Saren patiently tortured Ib-ba for information and learned much of the Blue Suns' actions on Sidon. After Ib-ba told him about a woman, Kahlee Sanders, and a krogan bounty hunter that had been sent after her, Saren broke Ib-ba's neck and followed the Krogan to find Kahlee, wanting to find..._something._

"Where did the weapons go?" Mía asked under her breath, throwing the hologram of Ib-ba up onto the projector in the middle of the table, next to one of Saren's face. She studied them as if she could understand the secrets of the world.

"I'm not sure why you care about the weapons," Garrus asked, still wondering if he could somehow get a hold of Kahlee, if she was even still alive. "What was he trying to find by all of this? You know, besides undermining weapons smuggling? That doesn't seem like something a Spectre would take interest in unless there was an ulterior motive."

Mía mumbled something under her breath. He expected her to tell him what she was saying, but she just kept talking to herself, writing something down on her omni-tool. _Great,_ he though, looking at the clock to see that almost three hours had gone by, _just what I need, a crazy partner that talks to herself._ But, he had to admit that she was good. She'd gone out last night, after hours, and found this information for their investigation. He didn't want to admit to himself that she was impressing him, though.

"Let's take a break," Garrus suddenly said, standing up and gathering his data pads. There was still a whole day's information stored away in those computers, ready to be read and understood. "Get some lunch."

It took her a moment to come out of her trance. She shook her head and looked up at him, her brown eyes almost seeing through him. "You offering?" she asked with a smirk of her non-threatening pink mouth.

Like he would take her anywhere outside of work. He was already getting hell from Chellik and the guys. "Sure, I know this great dextro-levo place," he said sarcastically, moving to exit.

"Alright, I get it," she grumbled, snatching one of her data pads from his claws. "You stay in your life, I'll stay in mine. No need to be snappy about it." He watched her storm from the room, already intent on staying through lunch and working her small, strange human butt off.

Insert foot in mouth. He hadn't wanted her in the first place, but now he was seeing how much of an ass he seemed to her. All he'd done so far was snark and growl and give her sarcastic remarks. And she'd been the only one who'd found anything so far. All he'd done was set up a meeting with Anderson in three days. He had to do something, anything.

He had to play nice.


	3. Why Captain, You Shouldn't Have!

**All of the information I use about Saren and the Mass Effect world I have researched by playing the game and using the Mass Effect Wikia. It's quite wonderful! If you haven't, you should check it out sometime!**

* * *

**Why Captain, You Shouldn't Have!**

"That turian is going to kill me."

Eddie Lang rolled his eyes, picking up my legs and putting them in his lap as I leaned my head back on the arm of the sofa. "I think you're overreacting." His hands instantly moved to my feet, giving me a great foot massage that started calming me instantly. Not for the first time, I wondered if Eddie was gay. Why did he spend all his time with only me? He knew that I didn't feel that way for him, and yet he still was my best friend. I'd never seen him with a woman before.

Eddie and I had both grown up on Arcturus station. While he'd gotten into the Academy a while before me, we were both in the same Probational class. He was a great friend and an even better masseuse.

"Did you know that turians actually _growl_? He growled at me the first day on the job!" I didn't care if all of their voices were beautiful, when I closed my eyes, I saw a predator's eyes and teeth, not to mention dinosaur/bird-like bodies. Plus, he growled at me. I couldn't quite get over that. "You just don't _do_ that on the first day!"

He chuckled and released one foot to grab a beer and take a swig. "Maybe it's a turian thing."

"Maybe he just hates me and doesn't want a partner." I'd done my research. He'd had five different partners in the last two years. One had been Detective Chellik, whom I was sure that Garrus openly hated. It hadn't worked out. The rest had been fired, hurt, or had quit on their own time. I was determined to prove this guy wrong, though, so nothing was going to bring me down.

"Now I _know_ you're overreacting. Come here, turn over and relax for a moment. And put down that data pad! You never used to bring your work home!"

He stole my pad, leaving me feeling useless. "It's this case. I feel like it could change a lot of lives." I then turned over, his knees slipping to either side of my waist as his wondrous hands moved along my shoulders and back. "Eddie, how do you know how to make me relax so easily?"

"I've been your best friend for years, Mía. Just lie there and let me take care of you for once. You deserve it." There was something oddly intimate in that statement, but his hands felt too wonderful. I slowly fell asleep, Eddie's hands working out the kinks in my back, and for once, I didn't have a nightmare.

oOo

"You look energetic this morning," Garrus said with a smirk, _always that damn smirk_, as I walked into the office, pack of data pads in hand. He was sitting at his desk already, somehow having gotten to work before me. He looked just as energetic as me, probably because we were going to actually start our investigation by talking to Anderson.

_A good night's sleep will do that to you. _"Thanks for noticing, _Socio._" _Partner._ I wondered if omni-tools could pick up Spanish. If not, I wasn't going to explain it to him. I didn't want his head bigger than it already was. So I sat down at my desk, spreading out my data pads into my drawers, and took out the one that I would keep Anderson's information on. "What time are we meeting Anderson?"

"In an hour. I was going to run a few...errands before we meet up." Suspicion filled me, but he kept talking, so I didn't say anything. "Meet me at the Zakera Cafe."

_That's it? That's all he's leaving me with?_ I thought as he started to walk away. I didn't want to show any kind of weakness to him, but I knew that this would have to be the time that I sucked it up and told him that I needed him. I jumped up and yelled, "Garrus!" I realized that I used his first name for the first time. He turned to me, raising a plate over one of his damn blue eyes, and looked at me with an amused expression. "I...I don't know where the Zakera Cafe is. I tried to find it a few days ago, but I kept ending up on the Presidium."

The other Officers looked at us skeptically. They must have been wondering why Garrus hadn't shown me around the Citadel yet. I was still getting lost and he hadn't helped. _Serves him right. _

He looked uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. "Well then," he finally said, "come on." Then he turned on his heel and started walking out. I almost wanted to huff, but I felt like I was finally getting somewhere with this partner that I didn't want. But I was stuck with him. And he was stuck with me, damn it.

I gathered up my pack of supplies that I would need and jogged out towards the elevator that C-Sec personnel used. He was waiting for me, holding open the door with a raised fucking eyeplate that pissed me off. I wasn't sure if he knew he was doing it or if it was something that all turians did. All it did was make me angry, so I took a few deep breaths before walking in the elevator. "Thanks," I mumbled, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.

I didn't understand turian facial features and emotions, but I was pretty sure he was annoyed. Even though he looked like a stick was up his ass all the time anyway. "Why didn't you ask me to show you around if you were getting lost?" Like it was my fault!

_Because you were an ass? _I thought, deciding that it wouldn't be the best insult a turian in a slow-moving elevator. _No, that won't work. How about because you let me fend for myself the first day, I just thought that counted for the rest of our careers? No, that's no good either._ "How about because you never act like you want a partner?"

The universal expression of surprise caught his face. Then something else—shame? "I will admit, I don't want a partner."

I was so frustrated that I actually threw my hands up in the air. "Then why make this harder? Just...just try to be nice! _Madre de Dios!_ I've gotten all this information, set up accounts, stayed up half the night while reading through endless rumors about Spectres, and I haven't even heard a 'thank you,' or a 'nice job, Mía!'" My raised voice echoed through the elevator before disappating, leaving an uncomfortable silence. "You've never asked to get to know me, you've never told me about yourself...this isn't how partners should be."

"I shouldn't have to tell you that you're doing well. You're expected to do it and do it well, even if you don't get recognition for it."

I bit my tongue and felt slightly ashamed...but only slightly. "I-"

"I'm sorry." Now I could tell what the look on his face was. He was uncomfortable. He shifted for a moment, his body almost too big for the elevator, and rubbed one talon-filled, glove-covered hand over the back of his head—fringe—whatever. "It's been a hell of a week and not everything has gone the way I've wanted it to. Let's just...start over."

I didn't want to let him off that easy. But once the word 'sorry' came out of his mouth, my shoulders had felt like a weight had been lifted off of them. "I know...that was...selfish of me. And you can talk to me, Garrus. We're supposed to be partners." _We can get to the whole, 'kind of can tolerate each other' part later. _

He gave a turian sigh as the elevator opened to one level. "How about I talk to you over breakfast. Have you eaten?"

I about told him yes, but then I remembered that I'd been calibrating my pistol and totally forgot. My stomach betrayed me with a loud growl that made him look curious. "Ah, no. Skipped."

"Then let's go. My...treat."

oOo

I could tell that I would never remember how to get to this part of the Zakera Ward, but I was very confident about the talk I'd had with Garrus. Now I was just worried about the next one as we sat down and ordered our food. He'd ordered some kind of dextro-amino food that I'd never heard of. I just got some biscuits and gravy.

"So..." he said awkwardly, not meeting my eyes, "my name is Garrus Vakarian. I'm an Officer at Citadel Security Services. I'm a turian. I like calibrating weapons systems and fighting for justice."

I almost spat out the water I was drinking as he said these things. _I feel like this is one of those bad set-up date things. _"G-Garrus," I said with a barely-contained laugh, "what a-are you doing?"

If a turian could blush, by God... "I thought we were starting over?"

"Starting over..." _Alright, then. Two can do this. _I had to try just as hard to get him to like me. And laughing at him probably wasn't helping. "My name is Mía, full name _Míama_ Dolores Luna-Galván Bailey. I'm human...as far as I know, Mexican and American heritage but grew up on Arcturus Station. I'm a veteran of the Alliance Marines and a Probationary Officer for C-Sec. I enjoy weekends off with my friends, dancing, music, and doing what's right. I frequently get lost." _Turians also scare __the bejeezus out of me. _ But I didn't say that. And at the same time, he didn't tell me his disrespect for humans. It was a win-win.

Our food came out after that, covering up the awkward pause. I looked curiously at the dead, crispy...animal...on his plate, not paying attention to the warm goodness of biscuits and gravy on my plate.

"What is _that_?" we both asked at the same time.

I gave off a laugh and motioned at his plate. "You first!"

"Fried pyjak," he said simply, making me nod. I'd seen pyjak as pets on the Station. They were ugly and disgusting, hence the reason I wouldn't want to eat one. Then again, pigs weren't quite beautiful either. "With the turian equivalent of lettuce. What the hell is that?"

I didn't see how my food was any less gross looking than his, then again, if I looked at it, it looked like a pile of grey crap and little pieces of rocks in it. "Biscuits and sausage gravy," I said, trying not to think of where the sausage came from on the Citadel. "Flour, milk, butter, all baked and covered in sausage and flour with grease, I guess. It's not very good for humans, but damn, it tastes good!"

He grunted, pulling off the leg of the animal, which was fully formed, and put it into his sharp-toothed mouth. I ignored the grinding of his teeth on the bone and tried to focus on the good food in front of me. I really needed to remember to eat at regular intervals. _No more late nights working and skipping dinner. No more early mornings working and skipping breakfast._

"You finished fast," Garrus said in that damned sarcastic voice of his, putting down his second very-clean bone on his plate. The pyjak was now back-legless. "Still hungry?" At my nod, his face grew dark.

_He's worried about the bill. _"I'll get it, don't worry, I can fend for myself," I joked, but his face was still dark. "What's wrong?"

He shifted in his seat, anxiously moving the mandibles on his face around. "Are all human like you? Do you not take care of yourselves? I may not know a lot about your species, but it seems that everyone needs food. I haven't seen you leave for lunch once in the past week"

It hit me hard that he was caring about my well being. Here was the turian who was just growing sarcastic remarks at me that morning who was now asking if I was getting enough to eat. "I eat plenty, as you can see. I just...skip meals sometimes. And don't base humanity's actions on me. Believe me when I say that I'm not like a lot of humans."

"You can't keep skipping meals, it's not healthy," he said in a small growl, crunching on another bone. I was still hungry, so it didn't bother me. I'd seen my dad eat worse. "You look like I could break you in half."

The waiter came by, so I ordered some bacon, sausage, ham, and more biscuits and gravy. It was true that I'd lost a lot of weight since...well, since 'the incident.' But I was tougher than I looked. "I could take you," I said softly after the man walked away.

He laughed into his food. I wondered if he was being extra sensitive of my human nature instead of tearing into his meal. "I would _break_ you. You need to gain a little weight before I'd even think about it. And then I would _still_ break you."

I felt my eyes narrow at him, my feminist pride wounded slightly. "I've beaten some pretty tough opponents in the ring."

"You fight?" he asked, raising an eyeplate.

"I grew up on a Station full of male military kids. I had to protect myself somehow." Was it so hard to see that I'd been champion on the Station? That I'd learned how to protect myself in the back alleys of the Great City, protecting the innocent even then. "I was mostly into kickboxing. Some wrestling. Hand-to hand stuff."

"We'll have to practice sometime," he said simply, finally without that damn sarcastic voice. "The champion of Arcturus versus the best hand-to-hand combatant Pavalen has ever seen. If I don't break you first, of course."

I rolled my eyes and looked down at the plate that the waiter gave me. "Keep it up, Vakarian. Your head will only grow with your already-inflated ego." I found that I liked his confidence, though. Unless it made him underestimate me. I'd just have to show off in the ring sometime. "What time is Anderson getting here?"

"Right now." Garrus nodded his head to somewhere behind me, making me turn with a full strip of bacon hanging out of my mouth.

A man was walking toward us in full military garb. I knew who it was instantly. Anderson was just as I remembered him. Tall, sturdy, with ebony skin and a smile that warmed your heart instantly. The only man with a better smile, that I knew of, was Admiral Hackett. "Mía Bailey, is that you?" he asked, laughing and holding his arms out wide.

I instantly ran to him, giving him a hug around the neck. "Anderson!" He swung me around once before setting me on the ground, giving a kiss to my cheek. "You look amazing, old man!"

"And you, somehow even more beautiful than I remember you!"

Garrus, still at the table, stopped eating halfway through taking a bite. "You two...know each other?"

I was still grinning, not only from the awkward but finally 'nice' atmosphere from Garrus, but also from meeting Anderson again. "Anderson is good friends with my father. And I'm good friends with his son, Jason. How's he doing, anyways? Oh, sit, sit, I'm being rude!"

Garrus was still staring at us with the turian equivalent of shock. His mandibles were fluttering and his eyes were wide. David sitting down seemed to snap him out of his stupor as the old man asked, "Why did you go through official channels to set up this meeting?" I shot him a questioning look while taking a drink of whatever had been left on the table. "You could have just called my personal number."

I laughed when I saw an even more shocked look on Garrus's face. "Garrus didn't ask," I said simply, loving the irritated way his mandibles clenched inward.

"I could have bypassed all of that paperwork with just a _phone_ _call_..." he groaned, one taloned hand on his face.

Anderson raised an eyebrow at the two of us, taking a sip of a water that the really good waiter had left him. _I'll have to remember to tip him_. "Oh, Anderson, I'm being rude again. David Anderson, Garrus Vakarian, my partner at C-Sec."

"I'm not surprised," the old man said with a laugh, giving me a harsh slap on the back. I sputtered on my water. "The deal with your old man's finally paid off. Where is your dad, anyway?"

"I, uh...I'm not sure," I said finally, not able to meet either his or Garrus's confused eyes. "I haven't told him I'm here yet."

"I'm sure he's heard. If not, it won't be long before he hears of a beautiful young woman already into Probational Investigation, researching on...Saren, no doubt." I'd never seen such anger in David's eyes. I wondered if this was personal. "This is my last chance, Mía. Pallin almost threw out my case."

Garrus, suddenly, _finally_ in the conversation, sat up a little straighter and pushed his plate to the side. "How many times have you asked for this investigation?"

"Too many."

Dread crawled up my backbone. "And...how many pinned something on the Spectre?" He shook his head, refusing to answer. I had my answer, though, and it felt like sausage and gravy had been a bad idea for breakfast. "So, then, this is just some wild goose chase? How can we pin something on someone whose activities are all classified!"

"Not everything is classified," Garrus said, a strange glint in his blue eyes as he looked at me. "You found evidence on the weapons smuggling. That counts as something."

I felt heat come to my cheeks and tried to smile, but I was embarrassed. Garrus was finally telling me I did something right, but I still couldn't look at him. "That'll just get him a slap on the wrist," I mumbled, running my finger over the top of my water glass.

"But, with other evidence, that slap on the wrist will come from handcuffs," he said lowly, hunger for justice in his gravelly, damned sexy turian voice. He could just talk to me all day, calling for the head of Saren Arterius, and I would melt in a puddle. As long as he didn't get sarcastic. That just ruined the mood.

Anderson, finally in business mode, tented his fingers in front of him. "I'm glad that you two have already done some research. I wasn't sure how much had actually been done when my secretary informed me of the meeting."

"I've found useless information and rumors, mostly...but there are some weapons that have been misplaced somewhere in between. And a woman named Kahlee Sanders who he keeps following for _something_."

David's eyes widened in surprised. "You found information on that?"

"Information brokers are useful," I said simply with a shrug of my shoulders. "You wouldn't believe the free stuff they give out if they're looking to incriminate the same person."

Anderson shook his head in slight amusement before going back to his normal, somber self. "Kahlee...she, a few others, and I were saved from a krogan bounty hunter by Saren. But he then used Kahlee as bait to get the 'bad' guy, who took her. After Kahlee was captured, Saren found himself assigned to work with me on the Council's orders, supposedly to evaluate me as a possible Spectre candidate. However, we obviously disliked each other from the beginning; Saren had a universal dislike of humans, and I resented Saren's brutal methods, especially when it came to Kahlee. In truth, Saren did not care about rescuing Kahlee; he only wanted to find the man who took her, along with a man named Dr. Shu Qian, as he was becoming more interested in an artifact the two had discovered. When Saren and I headed to the element zero refinery where Kahlee was being held, Saren let me go ahead, then abandoned the plan, destroying the refinery. Saren found Had'dah and Dr. Qian in hiding. He killed the doctor on Had'dah's suggestion, then, despite Had'dah's bargaining, shot the batarian, and took their research."

I was recording all of this into typed reports, my eyes wide from all of this gold that Anderson was giving us. Garrus, I noticed, was less than surprised and more...furious. I hoped that it wasn't because Saren was a turian, but I didn't think that Garrus was like that. Even _if_ he didn't have the most respect for humans.

Anderson sighed and rubbed his head. "Later, Saren gave a very negative report on me to the Council, claiming that I had alerted the refinery's guards and wrecked the operation. Saren then dedicated himself to using Dr. Qian's research to find this artifact and use it, believing he had found a weapon to control the geth and humble humanity once and for all."

"Control the _geth?_" I asked incredulously, forgetting that I had a glass of water almost to my lips. "They're artificial intelligence. You can't control them any more than the Quarians were able to."

"Somehow he's found a way." Anderson sighed and took a drink of a beer that the waiter had bought him. "Listen to me, Mía. I'm going on a very important mission soon. With Spectres." This caught Garrus's attention even more, though he looked a little upset that the Captain wasn't speaking to him. "I need to you complete this assignment. For me."

I took a deep breath and put my small hand on his large, callused one. "I will, Anderson." Then I met Garrus's blue eyes and nodded seriously at him. _My partner...ugh. Somehow we'll have to work through all of this._ "We both will."


	4. Just a Drill

**Edit: Because of the recent DLC (Citadel,) I have updated this chapter to include new areas from the Citadel!**

* * *

**Just a Drill**

"Garrus...I need your help."

The first time the words had come out of my mouth and they already tasted bad. I knew that I would regret asking later, but it had to be done. I couldn't get out of Probee status without him. The second he knew it, I knew that he would never let me live it down.

I could see the surprise on his face as he looked up from his paperwork. Was it my imagination, or was he trying to hide it from me? Nah, it was my imagination. "Are you in trouble?" he asked after an awkward pause of shuffling papers around.

"Huh? Oh, no. I just need you to evaluate me on my abilities to shoot at fake, moving targets in a cardboard box." Translation: I need you to score me on shooting in the crappy simulation room.

"You mean target practice?"

"Worse. _Crappy simulation _target practice." He let out that low gravelly sound in his throat. I really liked making him chuckle. It sounded nice and it made him seem less threatening even though it sounded like a rumble to my puny human ears.

He nodded and started putting away his files. "Sure. Just let me clean up a little." Garrus, I noticed, was all about organization...but I wasn't sure if I could follow his methods. His desk was a little too cluttered for my taste. But, that just made him Garrus.

"Ready?" I asked when he stood up. I felt eager to get my C-Sec gun license. Unable to carry any weapon but my fists made me a little paranoid.

Garrus nodded and made sure his pistol was secured in his holster. "Yes, let's go." We didn't make it very far out of the office before he asked, "What weapons are you trained in?"

"Pistol, Sniper Rifle, and heavy weapons of almost any kind." He looked at me strangely, opening the door to the simulator with his DNA and scrutinizing me. "What?"

"You? Heavy weapons?"

I should have known that he would judge me. I was secretly happy that he hadn't looked at my service record, but damn, how else would I have been able to take down thresher maws? "I told you once...I'm tougher than I look."

oOo

The two of them walked into Armax Arsenal Arena and Mia gasped at the sight before them. "This...isn't crappy simulation shooting." The Arena featured a huge rectangular room full of holographic adds for guns, new movies, and all of the different levels that Armax supplied. Combat participants could redeem their prizes at a company store opposite the food kiosk, which was manned by a hologram of a female turian. Everything was shiny and new and looked damn expensive.

Garrus admired a new scope for his sniper before he turned back to the matter at hand. "Go and pick out your weapons. You have to start on the Foot Solider level and work your way up."

"You've been here before?" she asked in awe, looking around like a small child.

"As you said, all personnel has to go through a weapons check before they can carry." He smirked at her wonderment and shook his head. "Besides, C-Sec gets a discount for training here. Cerberus or Geth?"

"What?" she asked distractedly, her brown eyes coming up to meet his. That was the only word for the color of her eyes - brown. "I have to choose what I shoot? Um, Geth, I guess."

Garrus suspected Cerburs, so that was a surprise. He took a deep breath and followed her to the nearest room. He then went to stand above in the upper area of the room where the spectators stood and watched as she picked out her armor, read the rules, and picked out her weapons. He suspected that she would pick the pistol, or even the assault rifle. So, when she tucked an Edge IV into her belt, he wasn't surprised. What surprised him and half the other men in the room was when she picked up a Black Widow—one of the heaviest sniper rifles in the world, but also the most deadly—and lifted it with one hand as if it were a baby toy.

"Well," she asked, leaning the rifle against her shoulder and looking up into the spectator stand, "you boys coming?"

The other Probees in the room scheduled for their evaluation stared after her in awe, confusion, and anger. Obviously they hadn't expected someone of her...stature...to even be able to pick up a weapon like that. Spectators started to come to the railings and started watching.

Mia set up the weapon against her shoulder as if it were an extension of her arm. She knew how to prime it, how to reload and care for it. She looked at it almost lovingly. "I can tell you my knowledge about the gun...I'm sure that it's on the test." They talked through their omni-tools for easier communication.

He looked down and saw that, yes, it was indeed on the test. "Uh...yeah, go ahead."

Who knew that the woman could monologue? "The Black widow seeks to improve on the M-98 Widow's faults. The result is a powerful rifle, still capable of dealing significant damage, while at the same time giving the Black Widow three shots instead of one before reloads are needed. However, it does less damage than the regular Widow. The main strength is that the Black Widow has much higher damage than any other semi-automatic rifle, which allows it to serve a dual-purpose. The first is that it can kill weaker enemies outright in one shot to the body. The second allows it to pick off stronger targets with a single headshot. The high damage, combined with the semi-automatic firing means that this rifle can achieve much higher damage per second than most sniper rifles and against armor it is virtually unparalleled." She made a face and rolled her shoulder back, as if preparing for recoil. "It sure does weight a hell of a lot, though."

Garrus was sure that he wasn't the only man looking at her in complete and utter confusion. He cleared his throat and marked down that she had the information _way_ under control. Now he just wanted to see if she could shoot it. "If you're any good with that gun, we should have a competition one of these days." He didn't bother telling her that he was the best there had been at C-Sec in over three generations of turians.

She looked rather surprised that he'd said this, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, before suddenly she bared her teeth. Garrus thought that she was growling at him, then he remembered that when humans did that, it was called _smiling._ "Really?"

He didn't know if he should get her hopes up, but it was nice when she smiled like that. "Sure. Now show me how you shoot that thing." He then watched as she completed the evaluation with perfect notes. He would try to correct her at first, but she would fix the problem before the first word even came out of his mouth. Perfect form, perfect aim, she even wanted more of a challenge—she made it to the next level before she even finished the first round.

Her armor, a bright yellow tech armor, had only needed to be discharged once, knocking out quite a few adversaries before she loaded it back with her omni-tool. She took out machine after machine, only using her armor and the guns, and ended up making it to the third level and drawing a crowd that cheered after each headshot.

"I think we're done here," he said an hour later, in disbelief of her shooting skills. He now, more than ever, wanted to have a shoot-off between them. They'd probably bring the house down!

"Can I finally carry a weapon around with me?" she asked, not having even broken a sweat. She sat the gun down lovingly, even wiping it down with polish. She got some approving shouts and even turned in her points for 900 credits as they left.

"Sure, Probee," he said with a roll of his eyes, ignoring the vorhca trying to get them to play Three-card Monte, "whatever you want."

oOo

Being around Garrus really was starting to get easier. When he didn't underestimate me, leave me out of the job, and ignore me, we got along pretty well. So, we walked out of the shooting range and made our way through the fake sunlight of the Silversun Strip, headed towards the Presidium. "Whaddya say," I said with a smile, twirling in said fake sunlight, "drinks on me?"

We must have looked quite the pair. Probee human and turian Officer, just walking along like it was no big deal. We got a few strange looks, but I didn't even care. I was finally getting along with this guy. "Why not? We're off duty."

I felt like I was grinning like an idiot as I pulled him along. Instead of going to Purgatory or Chora's Den, (heaven forbid,) we made our way slowly to Flux, where many of our fellow C-Sec workers would be relaxing. There was a gentle breeze that had been made to make it feel like we were outside. There were even clouds in the sky, but this would never feel like the forest outside my grandparent's house on Earth.

We passed a few new stores opening - there was a bar that sold party supplies, an arcade that I would totally be hitting up later, and even a casino that was already open and looked like it would take an entire paycheck to even enter, let alone play in.

"So," I said, glancing around at all of the new business owners personally helping the Keepers set up their new stores, "you've been with C-Sec a while. Is there more to it than just sitting and reading through paperwork? Is there even any action?"

He gave me a grin that looked a little sheepish in my opinion. "Not as much as you've seen, obviously, but I've seen some interesting things. The paperwork gets to you, though. I feel like I'm about to pull off my fringe...and that would hurt. A lot."

Yes, I'd seen some action. More than my fair share, if you counted staring down the gaping holes of two thresher maws. I tried to ignore the gnawing feeling it left me walking with, trying instead to think of Garrus pulling out his 'hair,' and it didn't quite work. Actually, it was kind of funny. "Give me some details, Gare. I'm dyin' here. Investigation or Enforcement?"

He smirked at the new nickname and stepped out of the way for an Elcor to pass. He brushed up against me. It was strange to feel his rough skin on mine—but it wasn't unpleasant. It felt like old leather...adding in a few spikes, of course. "It was a while back. I was tasked with tracking black market trade for a dive into Investigation. Most of it was harmless and I still had to deal with Enforcement. Nothing I needed to pursue. Still the same amount of paperwork."

I had to smile about that. I'd walked in on him a few days ago, stacks of paperwork on his desk that I hadn't even realized needed to be filled out. The stubborn turian refused to let me file it with him. "I can help with the paperwork, you know."

"You've got enough on your plate," he said, the same thing from a few days ago. "But this case was different. I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Organs, mostly."

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. He must have noticed because he looked at me with almost a caring look. "People sell _organs?_"

"People sell people, Mía. It's a disgusting fact of life."

"That's why we're here," I said with a nod of my head. We were now standing over the lake directly. If I looked down through the see-through walkway, I could see the water flowing, the water supply to the Citadel. "That's just one reason why I want to be at C-Sec. If I can't protect people...then who will?"

When I turned to look at him, it seemed almost as if he had been staring the entire time. There was a look on his face that I couldn't place. "We will," he said simply, before continuing with his story. "Every so often a lab tries to sell unwanted goods on the black market. But they're not as bad as the psychos."

"There's something worse to selling parts on the market?" I asked, feeling a bit lightheaded. I just kept picturing some crazy doctor trying to harvest me.

"This crazy Elcor diplomat in my third year, yeah. He was hacking people up and selling their organs. Had the station in a bit of a panic." He chuckled as if he remembered it being funny. I told him that I didn't understand his amusement. "If you could have seen Pallin with his pants in a twist like that, you would laugh, too. Gotta laugh to keep away the pain. The images were...horrific."

"I can imagine," I said softly, finally glad that we were almost to Flux. I could tell that this was bothering him so I gave him a small shoulder nudge and asked, "How hectic was Pallin, again?"

He gave me a sad smile and said, "You should have seen it. He was running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

"You know what a chicken is?"

"Not really. I just know that apparently everything in the universe tastes like it."

I laughed a little, glad that he could finally open up to me, if only a little. It was nice when we weren't biting each other's heads off. I could really get to know this guy. He reminded me a little of a mixture between Eddie and Jason—strange, but not all unwelcome. "You could say th—"

Suddenly a bad feeling washed over me. Gut instinct, I suppose. I threw out my hand to land on his chest, keeping him from moving forward. I looked into one of the stores near me, a human one that was obviously anti-alien, to see a turian with the Blue Suns logo 'talking' to the teenage female worker. The store was called "Home Spun" and it was still moving in to the relatively new Ward.

"Garrus," I whispered, motioning my head to them, "look."

"Just a transaction," he said simply, keeping on ahead. We still had to go down a few levels to get to the Presidium itself.

"Transactions don't occur with the shop keeper. They're just there for customer support." Obviously this guy didn't have gut instinct. Did turians have guts? I reached out and grabbed his arm, making him glare at me, but I didn't care. I moved closer to the store, Garrus dragging behind me, and watched in slight terror as the Blue Suns agent pulled the young girl towards the back of the store. "Garrus..."

"Alright, more than a transaction. We should call Enforcement, we've got plans."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this from him. We were police officers, for Christ's sake! We were supposed to uphold the law, no matter what. Even if we had _plans _and were _off duty_. So I pushed past him, taking out the pistol I was finally able to have. "Get out of my way, then."

I moved in slowly, hearing his exasperated sigh, and then I had backup. "I've got your six," he said lowly to me, making me smile.

We moved through a sea of boxes that surrounded the new store, coming to either side of the back door that led to a storage unit. No way out except this door. I looked at Garrus, nodding, and counted down from three.

I kicked open the door, just as I'd always wanted to do like in one of those twenty-first century vids, and shouted, "Citadel Security!" The room was large, with dozens of boxes on shelves. Furniture was scattered everywhere. The turian had the girl on the floor next to a safe, gun held to her head.

The turian startled, hesitating just for a moment, giving me time to overload his shields with my omni-tool. My foot instantly went out and cut across his face, knocking the gun out of his hands. Garrus seemed a little surprised about this but he took it in stride, going to the teenager who was cowering on the floor to protect her.

Then the Blue Suns agent bolted. "Damn it—Garrus, stay with the girl! I'm going after him!"

"Not without backup!"

I smirked to myself, already running low with my gun quickly across the Presidium. "Then keep up, turian!" I'd always been fast, probably because of my extensive dance training and running away from people who wanted to harm me, back on the Station. I could hear Garrus's breathing behind me, and he was pretty damn fast...I forgot how fast turians could be. My eyes were focused on the criminal in front of me.

He was running towards the bridge overlooking the Presidium Lake. I ran a little harder, yelling, "Stop now and put your hands in the air!"

"I've got a shot!" Garrus said from behind me, but I saw where the man was—there was no way he could shoot without the possibility of hitting a civilian.

"Don't you dare, Garrus! I've got this!" I was on the male's heels, ready to grab his shoulder when he turned and knocked me to the side. But I'd grabbed him anyways. His talons dug into my shoulders, his teeth and bad breath in my face. He was trying to intimidate me. But I was going to take this bastard down...until, that is, a three-taloned hand was then wrapped around my neck, choking me, picking me up off the ground. White lights started to flash behind my vision as his hand tightened

Suddenly Garrus was behind me. He was growling audibly, but not at me this time. He got the other turian to turn his attention onto him. "_Let go of her_."

The pressure was released and I was pushed backward, coughing and hacking.

They grappled for a moment, too evenly matched, until I regained my breath and shouldered into the male. He started teetering against the railing overlooking the lake, and then...he fell. There was a tense silence in the air as the male screamed before a loud _splash!_ came to my ears.

Garrus and I stared for a moment, unable to believe that I'd just pushed that male over the railing. "Mía," Garrus said after a few moments of static silence, "turians can't swim."

Before I knew it, I was standing on the rail. I was numb to the protests to my partner. I then straightened up and put my hands over my head in a point. _I haven't done this in years,_ I thought as Garrus cried out, trying to grab me, but I dove off into a perfect dive. The free-fall was liberating and I took a deep, calming breath before slicing through the water and opening my eyes. I could tell how perfectly clean the water was. _And fucking cold!_ I was contaminating the water supply, but that had been done first by the turian. I found said turian flailing around under the surface.

I grabbed under his arms, getting stabbed in the legs by his knee spurs, and kicked up from the bottom. My lungs screamed as I drug his heavier weight to the top. And, by the time I made it, I was gasping for breath. I drug his useless, flailing body to shore and laid out next to him. But not before I slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrist and connecting it to mine, saying, "Y-you're under arrest." Then I collapsed, taking deep, gaping breaths.

The second I'd handcuffed the turian, claps rang throughout the Presidium. My eyes were pointed straight up and I saw Garrus getting ready to climb over the railing to get to me. There were spectators everywhere.

I breathed deeply, trying to recapture my breath. I flopped my arms to my sides and gave a groan. "Damn turians can't swim!"

Garrus was by my side in a few moments with a team of Enforcement officers. He picked me up, shivering and soaking wet, holding me against him. His supernatural turian warmth started soaking through my wet uniform and for that I was grateful. The team effectively took in the criminal while Garrus put his C-Sec jacket around me. I was instantly warmer and comforted by his closeness.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked under his breath, keeping me at his side. His eyes looked frightened and furious at the same time. "You could have been killed!"

"I couldn't just let him drown," I shivered, trying to huddle into his alien-like warmth. "He deserves worse, threatening that defenseless girl. What was the store even hiding for him to hold her at gunpoint?"

"Cerberus information," he said lowly into my ear, making my eyes widen. I rested my head against his cheek, trying to catch my breath and control my breathing. The plates were once again like worn leather, comforting and easy just to lay there. "Don't ever do that again."

I couldn't promise him that, but I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to stay still so that the breeze wouldn't chill me even further. One of his hands closed over my arm, pulling me tighter to him. The hustle and bustle of the ward just disappeared as I honed in on his heartbeat and his breathing, simply relaxing.

"Khalisah al-Jilani, Westerlund News," said a woman near me, making me open one eye crankily. She was dark, obviously Indian descent, with a short black bob and a hooked nose. "That was an impressive display, Miss..."

"Officer Mía Luna-Galván," I offered up, slowly pulling away from Garrus's warmth. I could have sworn that he scowled briefly, but the light of the video camera blinded me for a moment and I forgot about it. "Hopefully it wasn't too much of a spectacle, ma'am."

"The entire Presidium wants to know—what happened?" she asked, making me sigh and straighten up. _Here we go...time to put on my officer face. _It was too bad that my hair was in strings around my head or that my uniform was sticking uncomfortably to my body. I was sure I looked _beautiful._

But surprisingly, Garrus stepped up in front of me, almost like he was protecting me. He gave me a look that told me to stand down. "We were off-duty, preparing to go for a drink at Flux."

The woman raised an eyebrow as if this were juicy news. "And you are?"

"Officer Garrus Vakarian."

There was a dangerous gleam in her eye as she said, "So, Garrus Vakarian and Mía Luna-Galván...?"

I wasn't about to have my name spread around saying that I was dating a turian. Not that that would be a...a bad thing, but...who was I kidding? The only turian who didn't scare me was Garrus, and that was because I forced myself not to be. "We're partners at C-Sec," I offered up, trying not to picture myself dating Garrus. That would just be...awful. Wouldn't it? I couldn't even see how it would...was sex even...

What was I _thinking_?!

"I'll get back to that in a moment," she said, obviously tickled pink about the story she was getting. "What happened on your way to Flux?"

Garrus had on his 'official face,' the one he showed to superiors and important people. "We passed by anew store up on the Sunset Strip. A turian was trying to rob it, threatening the young human female who worked there. He then ran and we pursued."

I felt myself blushing as the camera was turned to me. "W-well, there was a scuffle and the turian fell. My partner then informed me that turians can't swim." I looked up to him with a raised eyebrow. "Good to know, by the way. And...that's where you saw me—"

"Dive off of the bridge!" She seemed happy and scolding about this a the same time. "What made you think of such a thing? You could have died!"

"The Presidium Lake is over one thousand meters deep. I was only a quarter of a kilometer up. In the end, I would rather him face justice than drown." I'd had plenty of practice in swimming back on Earth. The fact that Garrus couldn't swim made me want to teach him! Or maybe turians couldn't swim _at all?_ "Besides, I had Garrus on my six."

"And you caught the criminal," the reporter said with a smirk, "together."

I thought about it—technically, this had been the first thing we'd done together without arguing. And, if we'd thought about it, Garrus had gone for what had been best. I was sure that it was a one-time thing, but I would take what I could get. "Garrus and I are a team. We'll do what we have to do to make sure that justice is served."

The small crowd that had gathered gave a cheer, making me blush and smile sheepishly. I even gave a little wave, hamming it up. _This is what it feels like to do something good. I'm getting recognized for it, too. _Garrus, next to me, didn't seem to be too happy about it, but he waved too when I nudged him. I felt cameras flashing in our faces and I just...basked.


	5. The Faces of C-Sec

**I'm baaaack! Europe is fun and all, but I just need a nice steak burger. Anyway, hello to my new followers! I'd like to hear your opinions!**

* * *

**The New Faces of C-Sec**

"What were you _thinking?_"

I stood at attention in front of Pallin's desk, my head held high as I looked out the window behind him. The "sun" had been up for about an hour and whomever controlled the atmosphere kept it partly cloudy. The room was cool, but I was burning up from embarrassment and the fact that I was standing next to Garrus who was like a heater anyway. "I...I don't know, sir."

Garrus next to me tried to speak, but Pallin silenced him with a wave of his hand. "I want to hear the story from you, Luna." He looked so perfect sitting in his futuristic office. I felt out of place. Especially my uniform, which was slightly...damp from the day before.

I took a deep breath and, still not looking him in the eye, told him exactly what I'd told the reporter the day before. But I was out of my comfort zone and didn't know what was going on—Garrus hadn't even been able to tell me anything when I walked in this morning. We were both just sent to talk to Pallin. Had I done something wrong by talking to the reporter? Had I harmed an innocent civilian?

Had I polluted millions of gallons of water by my jump and killed some poor quarian or turian who wasn't levo-based?

The Executor shook his head and showed his omni-tool, making a screen pop up to our right. I watched in confusion as he turned it on, saying, "That's what you told the reporter. What _really_ happened, _detectives?_"

Garrus finally stepped forward, explaining about the Cerberus information. He hadn't told me any of it, but I still couldn't pay attention. I was feeling too shocked by what I saw on screen.

Me. Looking completely bad-ass with my hair flowing down, my uniform perfect, and my gun poised to shoot. Garrus, behind me, was watching my six, his sniper out and ready to shoot. It was an action picture, so everything else besides the two of us was blurry. It looked like one of those action movie posters.

Next there was a picture of me diving, Garrus staring down in awe. _Nice form, _I thought, really hoping that the reason we weren't here was because I killed some dextro and now I was going to suffer from a guilt-trip the rest of my life. _Shoulda let the bastard drown instead!_

Lastly, there was a picture of Garrus and I after he'd picked me up and put the jacket over my shoulders. I was pale, my almost-blue lips parted, my hair limp around my face. My hand was on Garrus's chest, my other arm around him, while one of his arms was around my shoulders, his other holding his weapon as if someone would strike at any moment. I looked damn sexy, and Garrus... Well, Garrus looked pretty damn good, too.

Then I realized that Garrus was probably going to get chewed out about this. "It was my fault the turian fell into the reservoir," I said quickly, once Garrus was done explaining. "And, if it isn't that, then it's my fault that the reporter talked to us. I gave her information first."

Pallin started chuckling. _ Why is he laughing?_ "There's no one to blame. I'm not mad, Luna."

_Not mad? _"Not _mad_?" I asked incredulously, finally looking at his smirking turian face. The voice of that annoying reporter droned on beside me. "I must have...have done something wrong!" Why the hell would he have called me into his office if not to punish me?

"No, you did everything right except for talking to the reporter," my boss said, making me start and lose my stance. "In fact..." He skipped a few scenes and stopped directly on the reporter standing next to the last picture of Garrus and me. _"Mía Luna-Galván and Garrus Vakarian, Officers of C-Sec, or the new faces of C-Sec? You tell me!" _"I've been getting e-mails, letters, and calls all morning. The public finds the two of you intriguing."

I wasn't sure if I wanted to know where this was going. I hesitantly stepped out of my stance and stared at the paused screen. Garrus was looking now, too. "I'm sorry, sir...what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, starting tomorrow, the two of you are the faces of C-Sec."

oOo

This was wonderful. Not only had he gotten embarrassed on the news, but now he was going to be the laughing stock of the entire Force. The Executor had given many reasons for this, but the main reason was that it would "promote human and turian interests in C-Sec." Meaning that a few humans and turians had been in for each other lately, so two of them working together would patch things up.

He'd thought he'd been getting along with Mía. He'd thought that maybe he could tolerate her finally or, Spirit forbid, _like_ her, even. Then she pulled that stunt and saved a turian she should have let drown. Now they were in a hell of a mess.

"So," she said casually, picking at her uniform which hadn't fully dried from the day before, "I guess we have a photo shoot tomorrow."

Garrus could just picture it—his face and hers plastered everywhere in the Citadel, promoting safety, justice, and even bringing in new recruits. "This is going to put a huge hole in our investigation."

Mía sighed and sat at her desk, looking a little depressed. "Yeah...I guess so." She then turned her head down and looked at her papers rather dejectedly. He'd never seen her so upset. Had he said something?

Well, it didn't matter what he'd said. He didn't care for what she thought. It was her fault for getting them into this mess. It was her fault that their top secret mission was in jeopardy. And now he had to go to a photo shoot, of all _things_?

Chellik walked by, a smirk on his ugly bare face. Garrus clenched his fists to keep from hitting the bastard, but he let out a growl that surprised the other male. He just smirked again after the surprise wore off and then walked over to his detective's office.

Garrus hoped that his father never saw _any_ of this.

oOo

How could someone _not _see this?

The C-Sec uniform, normally for humans, was a grey baggy blob. It tightened at the waist but was completely loose everywhere else. Now he was standing by a very irritated Mía who seemed to have realized that they..._changed_ a few things in their uniforms.

His, he realized, had become more streamline around his waist, making it look slightly thinner and thus 'more attractive' to his species. Garrus wasn't sure why, but Mía's now was tight around the cushions on her butt and chest, even going so far as to have a piece cut out so that a line formed down the middle of her creamy chest. What were they called? Breasts?

It'd taken the most time for her to be done. The designers who wanted to put makeup on him ran the second he bared his teeth and growled. Now he was just waiting for her.

When she came out, her dark brown eyes were covered in shadowy makeup, making her look darker and more sinister. Her lips were painted maroon, her skin made smooth and perfect. Her fringe was falling down behind her in perfect waves. It would have painted a perfect picture if proverbial smoke hadn't been rising off her head from anger.

She looked pissed as she moved over to him. "If they touch me one more time, I am going to shove a makeup brush up someone's _ass_," she whispered next to his ear, making him chuckle. This made her angry. She threw the data pad that held her script at the back of his head and made her way to the set.

Garrus almost growled in annoyance. This was all her fault in the first place! Didn't she know that C-Sec wasn't supposed to talk to the press? Didn't she know that...no, she wouldn't know. Because he had never told her.

He groaned and followed slowly behind, wondering if he wanted to postpone this or get it over as quickly as possible. So he tried to walk slower. Then he saw Mía's glare and he growled, moving to stand by her. "I don't know why you're mad at me," he growled in a low rumble. "It's your fault we're here."

She turned her back to him and looked over her shoulder at the tight-fitting pants on her butt. It was strangely round and perky and she glared at him when she noticed he was looking. "Says the guy who wanted to _let Enforcement handle it_."

"We could have gotten in trouble, we were off-duty," he snapped back, secretly ashamed of the way he had acted. "Yes, we did the right thing. I was saving you from, at the least, a week's suspension. At the worst, a court marshal and a few weeks in jail."

Her eyes widened at the truth in his voice. She stayed silent for a moment, turning back around and stepping a little closer to him. Her smell—the one of gunpowder and some squishy human thing he couldn't place—permeated the air around them. He lowered his head, trying to look into her eyes, but she just shook her head. "I'm not sorry for saving that girl."

Garrus felt a little sympathy for her at this point. He didn't feel sorry either. "I'm sick of C-Sec's rules. I would have never thought twice if we weren't buried under all of this political tape." He lowered one talon and lifted her chin so that she could look him in the eye. "So I'm not sorry, either."

Her smile was soft and made her seem human underneath the thick makeup. Her eyes crinkled and her skin seemed to glow. He decided that he liked this soft smile.

Suddenly a camera flashed near them, blinding him and making her pull away. He felt his mandibles flutter in annoyance and he growled at the man standing there in his designer clothes. A female turian—_a female!—_ was standing next to the man, frowning at Garrus. She was almost considered beautiful, with thick, mahogany-colored fringe that was pierced in a few places and covered in gold. Her waist was thin and supportive and she was dressed in the turian equivalent of her best suit. The man next to her was in no way comparable.

"Perfect!" the man said, a large, fake smile on his modified face. "That will be wonderful for the cover of _Military Might_."

"The turian magazine?" Garrus asked, feeling disgusted. He'd seen one issue before, talking about human and turian relations. Was that what his career would be like now? A joke among old turians who wanted to be rid of the alliance between the two species? How could he ever hold his head high again?

The female nodded. "Your teamwork impressed our sponsors," she said in a very attractive voice, one that made Garrus flutter with a little bit of male pride. Mía, next to him, nudged him with a wry look. The female then turned her eyes onto Mía and looked her over the way a territorial female would. "Both of you."

Mía stepped a little closer to the female, asking, "What's your name? I've never seen a turian female before."

"I am Tuntau Orinia." she said simply, nodding her head in a type of bow. "I am here with Daniel Rounta to make sure you are both attractive for your...species."

"I feel like I've got ten layers of makeup on," Mía said with a roll of her eyes. "How is this attractive?"

"You are _beautiful_," Daniel said, and Garrus thought that his voice sounded strange. He even held his body strangely. Was he walking like a female human? He came up to Mía and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now, we need to pose you. The new faces of C-Sec are both young, attractive specimens of their species and the Citadel wants to get to know you!"

Garrus looked at Mía who had the same shocked expression on her face. "Still not sorry?" he asked with a raised eyeplate.

"I may be starting to regret it."

oOo

"What the hell is that?"

"What is what?"

"_That!_"

I turned my head from the ad and walked on by, pretending not to see it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jason and Leroy grabbed me and forcefully turned me to make sure that I looked at the monstrosity that was my partnership with Garrus. It'd been turned into a clown parade and it was only falling down to the Carnies.

We were standing back to back, looking at the camera with smug smiles on our faces. I could hear my voice saying, _"Garrus and I are a team. We'll do what we have to do to make sure justice is served." _Garrus's voice then said, _"C-Sec is in my blood. Is it in yours?"_

He hadn't even looked at me since the photo-shoot last week. "That," I said, shrugging out of my friend's grasp, "is the death of my partnership." So I sighed and kept walking, determined to get completely drunk to forget my worries.

Was it because of the female turian? No, it couldn't be. I didn't think of Garrus like that and he didn't look at me in that way either. I'd seen him hide some emails from me that week, come to think of it. We'd gotten absolutely nowhere in our investigation into Saren.

"You two looked perfectly fine in the vid," Eddie said and I thought I hinted something in his voice, but I put it to the side. As far as I knew, Eddie was gay, just like Daniel had obviously been. "What happened to, _'That turian is going to kill me'_?"

Finally I made it to the bar with only a few curious glances my way. I'd done my hair and makeup differently than in the overly-done commercials, but it didn't seem to be working. "We were already on rocky ground. Now there's an earthquake and our acceptance of each other is on the fritz." I sat down at the bar and ordered whiskey—this called for some heavy drinking.

"Starting hard today?" the human bartender asked, his face rather shocked as he realized who I was.

I smirked sadly and looked at the bottom of the empty glass next to me. "Looking to drown my sorrows, kind sir. And you're the man for the job."


	6. Daddy Dearest

**I'm going to up the rating on this pretty soon. Not in this chapter, but in the next few just to be safe. Also, I have no clue how I'm doing because I don't have a single review! Lots of viewers, but no reviews. I could use some feedback!**

* * *

**Daddy Dearest**

"What made you want to join C-Sec?"

The question caught him by surprise. It was late, almost midnight, and they'd stayed in the office to catch up to a lead. Because of 'the incident,' he now called it, they had lost way too much time. Interviews, commercial ads, televised spots...this wasn't what he'd pictured Investigations to be like. Now he was fighting to stay awake. "Why do you want to know?"

Mía yawned and rubbed one eye, her hair tousled, her clothes wrinkled. If he hadn't known that she was a good shot and could knock a turian senseless with a roundhouse, he'd say that she looked completely innocent at the moment. "Just trying to get to know my partner." She said it as though he would yell at her or get angry for her asking.

It was as good a reason as any. He sat down his pad and tried to stretch out his plates, but he was too cramped. He didn't have enough sleep. "Several reasons, I guess. Probably the same as most officers. I wanted to fight injustice. I wanted to help people." Garrus liked that she smiled at that. Her smile was nice...although he couldn't understand human teeth. What were they for, all blunt and squared?

"And not for the fame, huh?" she asked wryly, rolling her eyes as the radio she was listening to gave another one of the news updates about 'them.' Garrus was worried about going online anymore, he was sure to see pictures of them or rumors about what they _really_ were to each other. That picture for _Military Might_ had stirred up a lot of controversies.

_I hope that Pallin is happy, the bastard. _He shook his head and smiled wistfully. "Not for the fame, no. I guess my father had something to do with it, though. He was C-Sec. One of the best. I grew up hearing about his accomplishments or seeing his picture on the vids after a big arrest." Garrus then realized that his father was sort of the face of C-Sec back in his time. Now his name was just as big...with a little baggage named Mía to add on.

Her eyes were narrowed in confusion as she looked at him, completely silent for a moment. Garrus looked at her smooth skin, noticing the black half-moons under her eyes. Mía must have been even more tired than she was letting on. "_My_ father is C-Sec," she said softly, as if him telling her this was a surprise. He thought that everyone knew his father.

He figured that she'd had some connection in wanting to join, but this was a surprise. "Really? Why haven't you mentioned him?" Why hadn't he seen her with her father yet? Obviously it was her main reason in being here.

There it was again, that strange red color coming onto her cheeks. He tapped on his data pad and searched the human emotion and saw that it was called 'blushing' and it meant she was embarrassed, fevered, or aroused. He guessed (and hoped) for embarrassment. "He...ah...doesn't know I'm here. I haven't contacted him yet. He still thinks I'm in training."

Garrus wasn't sure if he should laugh or ask about her father. So he laughed and stared back at his work. "That's just like you."

Her tired eyes found his. From where she was sitting, dark shadows played across her face, making her look bruised and exhausted. "What?"

"You must be embarrassed or you're worrying about what he'll think. But, unless he never ventures out of the place he lives, he's got to know about you now. Is he the reason you joined C-Sec?"

Garrus instantly wished that the blush was back, because her next smile unnerved him. It was soft, making her eyes crinkle in an un-turian-like way. Her entire face looked younger and less haggard. "Yeah," she said softly, looking down on her work. "He is."

He wondered if she would elaborate. He was hoping that she would. "And?"

Mía let out a huff of air and ran her fingers through her messy fringe. "My mom and dad divorced a...a long time ago, now." Humans were strange. Where as turians bonded for life, humans could make and break bonds many times over their lives. "My mom wasn't...faithful...and she ended up getting custody of me. My dad fought, but his work in the Alliance was deemed 'too unstable' for a ten-year-old kid."

"In human years, that's pretty young," Garrus said softly, knowing that he'd almost been into his young adult stage by then. He tried to imagine her that young, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

She nodded and gave him a sad smile. "I was in primary school, almost to secondary. It hurt, it really did. My mom started shutting down, dating random men, sending me off to schools on Earth. I lived with my dad's parents when I could, which wasn't much. He joined C-Sec to become more stable, but the courts wouldn't let him have me. I rebelled, trying to get my mother to pay attention to me...and it landed me in some harsh situations."

Garrus was sure that the "hacking job" she'd talked about in their first week was about something like this. And, with the way he'd seen her negotiate, he was sure that she'd gotten a silver tongue from somewhere. "I'm not going to ask you to elaborate."

She smirked, her wide lips stretching in an oh-so-human way. "I wasn't going to. Anyway... When I'd been actually arrested for my...harsh situations...my dad came by for his once yearly visitation. He told me that, if I agreed to stop what I was doing, join the military, and eventually become C-Sec like him, then he would sign my military permission early so that I could get away from my mother. Guess how much _that_ pissed her off."

Garrus could see the way she adored her father. He was determined to look into it a little further and see if he could convince her to let the man help. Obviously he'd been with the force for a while. And he could probably give some good insight. "I'm sure it did."

She smiled tiredly at him, yawning again and rubbing her other eye. "Okay, I can't stay up any longer. I'm glad tomorrow's a Saturday."

"Thanks for staying late."

Mía raised one eyebrow, giving him another smile, and said, "No problem. It's part of my job, right? Its better than going to a publicity shoot again. God, if I have to miss one more training day just to go tell Oprah how I like to do my hair..."

Garrus actually laughed at this, amused by the way her face contorted into disgust. "I think that's the least of our worries."

"It used to be. Now I dread waking up and seeing my face on the billboard outside my window. Yours too, Ugly," she said with a smirk, yawning again and putting away the last of her things.

"Ugly?" he asked, pretending to be affronted. "I'll have you know that I'm rather handsome among turians." Mía's hand gently patted him on the side of his face as she passed by. It was just so damn..._soft_! Humans had no protective plating whatsoever! "And you have no room to talk, Squishy. You'd think you'd never worked a day in your life with those soft hands."

She rolled her eyes and opened the door, making sure the security buzzer wouldn't go off. There was still the bare bones staff around, but no one wanted to be woken up by the missile that would kill an intruder instantly. "So, how are you and your girl, hmm?"

Garrus balked and stared at her, wondering how she knew he'd been talking to Tuntau. "What?" he asked, trying to busy himself in his paperwork. "How about you and your friend, the one with yellow fringe?"

Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Who, Eddie? He's like my best friend, no way! But there's definitely something going on with you and _Tuntau_." She wiggled her eyebrows in a way that no turian ever could, taunting him.

"I'll own up, she's beautiful. But she's not my type." Then what was his type if not for the intelligent, beautiful female of his own species?

Mía rolled her eyes and once again said, "Whatever, Ugly. See you Monday."

"See you Monday...Probee."

**oOo**

This was it. I was going to die of embarrassment.

Somehow the public had found other ways to find pictures of Garrus and me. We were turning into walking celebrities on the Citadel. I couldn't walk two feet without getting noticed. Now, today, I obtained a large bag of fan mail on my desk..._fan mail!_

"Garrus, I think this is yours," I found myself saying, picking up the bag and dropping it on top of the paperwork he was doing.

We were working on finding witnesses to testify against Saren—if there were any, that is. One problem was that they would probably too scared to speak out against a Spectre...and the other was that most suspects were criminals.

Like Fist.

He gave me a wry look—well, a wry look for a turian—and pushed the bag back into my grasp. "Don't worry, Mía. I won't tell anyone that you have a few fans." Garrus then became the hypocrite as another bag of mail was carried in and sat next to his desk. "...Let's not mention this to anyone."

"Watch this, next we'll be asked to attend the Christmas Charity Ball together."

Garrus looked rather confused at this—did he not know what _Navidad_ was? "I'm not quite sure what that has to do with our fan mail, but—"

I hit him with an envelope, wondering why some people still used paper when a simple email would suffice. "It's _not_ fan mail! It's...it's... It's annoying, that's what it is."

"You don't _have_ to read it," he said off-handedly, rifling through the papers on his desk. He started picking at an envelope and ignored the data pad I tried to hand him that had information on Fist and Chora's Den.

"Well, I'd feel bad if I didn't. People actually take time to read _mail_? Let alone _write it?_"

My partner sighed and shook his head. "You're looking too far into it. Most people just want to show their gratitude for our service and saving that girl. We are just normal officers, doing our jobs." He said this as he opened one of them, hearts drawn all over it and perfume sprayed on a kiss at the bottom. "Uh..."

"Yeah," I said, leaning my hip against his desk and grabbing the note from his talons, "_normal. 'My Dearest Gare-Bear, I can't believe how brave and heroic you were on the news today. I watched you eat your pyjak yesterday, and—'"_

He snatched it from my hands and, if turians could blush, he would be blue all over. "I get it, Mia. We're just going to have to get used to it. Recruitment has increased two-hundred percent since we became the faces of C-Sec. It's natural that we will get a little more attention—"

"HA!" came a shout from Pallin's office. The Executor took time to peek his head out of the door and throw us a smirk. "Vakarian, Luna, you won't believe this!"

"What is it, sir?" Garrus asked, looking rather irritated but hiding it well. He completely disregarded the list of suspected witnesses I was trying to push off on him.

"_'Red Tape'_ the extranet show, starring Mia Luna-Galvan and Garrus Vakarian! I just got a call from a director wanting to make you stars! I of course told them no, that you actually worked for a living and couldn't be bothered with making movies and television series. But the name is catchy, I'm telling you!"

With that, he disappeared, as did Garrus's and my self respect.

**oOo**

"Damn...look at that probee. I'd love to get into _that _official uniform."

Armando "Owen" Bailey looked up from his desk in the Zakera Ward, rather surprised to see a human woman in C-Sec uniform. She was tall and willowy, almost model thin and a perfect human specimen. Her hair was thick and black, and, when she turned, her eyes were chocolate brown.

"She's the new face of C-Sec, her and her turian partner. _Damn."_

Owen's eyes narrowed and he harshly elbowed the Enforcement Officer next to him. "Watch what you say. Be respectful."

The girl looked up and at him, her face showing surprise before she laughed and started moving toward them. Owen hit the boy again when he whistled her way.

"What, I'm just looking," the younger, more rash partner of his said as he rubbed the spot he'd been hit.

"Well avert your eyes. That's my daughter you're staring at." There was no time for the boy to gape because at that exact moment, Mía threw her arms around him and planted a big kiss on his cheek. "Babygirl!"

"_Papi!_" She planted kisses all over his face, laughing. She looked almost identical to her mother besides his strong jaw on her rather thin face. She looked a little tired and needed a few good, homestyle meals, but other than that, she was still his little girl. "How have you been?"

He'd been working double shifts to enforce the ever-increasing crime rate in the Wards, but he wasn't going to bore his daughter with it when he hadn't seen her in years. "Not bad, Babygirl, not bad. I've, ah, heard about your new gig."

Mia backed up and turned in a small circle, showing him her new probational uniform, badge, and gun. "I've followed in your footsteps! I have my own desk and everything!"

When Owen had heard about the new faces of C-Sec, he almost couldn't believe it. He started seeing newscasts and vids all over the Citadel. In just a few weeks on the Force, his little girl had become a sensation. He had to control his temper every time one of his male co-workers commented on how she looked and what they wanted to do to her. He just had to face it that he had a beautiful daughter and that she wasn't so little anymore.

"That's great," he said, trying to hold back the sadness in his voice. "I'm happy for you, Baby. Why don't we go to lunch and catch up?"

Her face dimmed slightly as she looked behind her. A turian was walking towards them. She looked hesitant as she waited for him to join them. "I can't today. _Papi_, this is Garrus. My partner."

The turian was tall, regal, and dangerous-looking, much like the rest of his species. Owen looked over her partner with criticism before he held out a hand and shook the three fingers in front of him. "Good to meet you, son."

Garrus looked rather confused, but shook Owen's hand anyway. "It's nice to meet you as well, Officer Bailey. I understand that you've worked with my father?"

When Owen wasn't sure who the turian was talking about, as he thought they all looked the same, Mia told him that Garrus's family name was Vakarian. He then noticed the distinct blue X across the turian's face. "Goodness, yes! How is the old man? I haven't heard from him in...ten years, at least."

Bailey was no turian face reader, so all he saw on the young male's face was a blank expression. "He works as a consultant for the military, now. I haven't heard from him in a while."

Mia look concerned but didn't say anything to the male. "Garrus and I are working on a big case, _Papi._ We usually work straight through lunch. I can do dinner, later this week, though."

_Maybe it won't be as I hoped,_ he thought with a sigh, running a hand through his thinning hair. "That sounds good. I just want to catch up and see why I haven't heard from my celebrity daughter, is all."

Blush filled Mia's cheeks and she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I've just been caught up in this case...I was going to come by, I swear—"

"It's my fault," the turian said, surprising both Owen and Mia.

Mia narrowed her eyes and tensed. "Garrus, you don't—"

He put a heavy, taloned hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that Owen couldn't decipher. "I've been working her too hard. Take a break and go to lunch with your father. It's not everyday you get to see him, anyway."

Mia's stubborn-streak flashed through her eyes before she gave a soft smile. "Thanks, Garrus. I'll see you in an hour after I finish catching up with my dad."

"Take as long as you need," her partner said, his mandibles fluttering.

Owen laughed and turned back around to his partner, who was still gawking from the sidelines. "Herk, I'm going on break. Fill out that paperwork while I'm gone...and do it _correctly_ this time, please. And close your mouth...you'll catch a bug."

**oOo**

Mia came back to the office smiling and laughing, still talking to her father over her omni-tool. She sat down at her desk while saying, "Love you too, Daddy! Take some time off of your rounds...you're looking a little worse for wear, old man."

"I could say the same to you, _Miama_. See you for dinner tomorrow."

"Adios!"

Garrus had to stop himself from chastising her for so many things. Firstly, she'd taken two hours for her break. Second, she was distracting the seven officers in the room with her chatting. But he couldn't do it. He didn't have a good relationship with his father, but that didn't mean that Mia couldn't. "Have a good time?"

"I haven't seen my father in years," she said with a smile, a new light shining in her eyes. "It was a great meal. We've got so much to talk about still...thanks for sticking up for me."

"It's no problem," he said off-handedly, trying to go back to the information he had on his desk. She interrupted him again, though.

"Would it be strange if I started going by Luna-Bailey instead of Luna-Galván?"

Sighing, Garrus put aside his work again. "Why would it be strange?"

"Well, when my mother and father divorced, my mother made me take her name. I much prefer my father's. Would it confuse anyone in the office?"

"I don't see why it would. Most of us don't understand your name anyway. And besides, most of us call you Luna."

This seemed to comfort her. She smiled and sat back at her desk, picking up her nameplate and pondering it. Then she finally came back to reality. "Oh, God, the case. What have you found?"

An urgant message reported itself to his omni-tool...and what he read made him want to flip his desk over onto itself. Instead, he clamped his mandibles to his face and stormed from the office.

"Garrus...hey, wait up!" Mia ran after him, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside. "What was that? Hey!"

He clenched his talons and kept himself from punching the wall. "Fist is off-limits."

"Why?" She was looking at him with those big eyes and confusion written on her face. "We've gone through official channels for a warrant and—"

"That's the _problem,_" he growled at her, pulling away from the hands that tried to comfort him. "According to Pallin, Fist is too much of a risk to be interfering with. He wants us to find another witness."

"Hey, it's okay," she said softly, placing a wimpy human hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were wide and held sympathy for him. "We'll get Saren even if we can't use Fist."

"No it isn't! I hate being buried by rules. The damn bureaucrats are always on our backs. Sometimes it feels like the rules are only there to stop me from doing my work. If I'm going to take down a suspect, it shouldn't matter how I do it, as long as I do it. But protocol and procedure come first. We just keep getting saddled with more and more red tape."

Her soft smile only made him feel worse. "Sometimes, Garrus, the red tape is there to help us."

"And other times it screws us over."

* * *

**What'd you think of my Bailey? ****Drop me a review! **


	7. The Best Combination

**Hello, new followers! Live long and prosper! Just to be safe, I'm upgrading this to "M" for light adult content. Anyway,**** in this chapter, you meet a familiar man. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Secrets and Mercs – the Best Combination**

Pallin had Garrus working some kind of side job for Enforcement, so I got the office all to myself...figuratively. There were still the other Investigations workers, like Chellik and and Sanchez. Over all, twelve guys in the office to two women. I was one and the other was Pallin's secretary.

It was always difficult, lacking in female companionship. But I could always get Jason drunk and make him wear a dress. Was that technically the same? ...Maybe not.

The day had been pretty slow. I hadn't been able to pin Fist with anything, so I figured that I would need to do some internal work. Someone _had_ to have been paid off. It just wasn't natural! I'd been in Chora's Den myself and saw the drugs and illegal doings, and yet nothing was being done. And then Pallin had told us we couldn't work on the Fist case, so we were back at square one. Unless...

My mind was already planning a whole different investigation, as was the special program on my omni-tool, when a throat was cleared above my desk. Shocked, I looked up into a pair of stunning hazel eyes. They were surrounded by thick black lashes, below perfectly-shaped, thick eyebrows, and a full head of black, military-length hair. His jaw was firm, his nose strong, his lips full, and his teeth perfectly straight and white.

He was wearing his dress blues, which were stretched across the broadest expanse of chest I had ever seen. Multiple ribbons adorned his chest. His name read **VEGA**. I may have been drooling by the time he said, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, ma'am, but I'm looking for an Officer Bailey?" He was looking at my newly-minted name plate, which read **LUNA-BAILEY **in bold letters.

I stood up and smoothed my hands over the front of my pants before I reached my hand out to shake his. "Officer Mía Luna-Bailey, at your service. Are you sure you're looking for me, though?" As far as I knew, I didn't have any scheduled appointments.

"James Vega." The man shook my hand firmly and gave me a rather sexy smirk. "I'm looking _at_ you now, _bonita._"

The blush that came over my face surprised even myself. _Hoo...calm down, girl. Friendly piece of meat looking for your father...calm down._ "Woah there, _chico._ This is not the old man you're looking for."

"Right," he said, standing back with a smug look on his tanned face. "But you're the prettiest old man I've ever seen."

I tried to ignore the look from my fellow turian comrades and crossed my arms under my chest. "Can I help you, Sergeant?"

A switch seemed to flip in his brain, changing his attitude. He suddenly stood up straighter and at attention, looking at me seriously. "Apologies, Ma'am. I just wasn't expecting a _bonita_ like yourself." Hopefully my blush was hidden, but I doubted that it was. "I was told to come here to hire an investigation into a drug cartel. They are selling drugs from here to Earth and back."

This was news. A switch inside me flipped as well. I used my omni-tool to bring up a screen and motioned for the man to sit. "_Vamanos, compadre. _Sit! Tell me all about it!"

"So you'll take the job?" Vega asked curiously, hesitantly taking the seat.

"Yes," I said instantly, programming a new job into my tool and getting ready for a few extra hours a day. _Like I need them._ "And you're going to tell me over lunch."

He smiled sexily and nodded, leaning over my desk to look me straight in the eye. "I would love to, _Bonita._"

"It's Mia," I reminded him, a small smile appearing on my face.

He smiled back and placed a hand over mine. My heart fluttered like it hadn't in a while and a blush filled my cheeks. "I know, but you look like a _Bonita._"

oOo

Garrus had never seen Mia leave early. In the month that he'd worked with her, she'd only ever clocked out on time once. The only reason she'd clocked out then was because Pallin had made her leave when she was _supposed _to. So, watching his partner squirm in her seat as she watched the clock, Garrus was surprised.

"Hot date tonight, Mía?" one of her friends, Eddie Lang, asked from the set of computers he was using. Garrus wasn't sure he liked this man—his partner was always with the blonde human, and yet she didn't seem to understand that he was undeniably attracted to her. She insisted that Eddie was her 'best friend.'

Mía smiled and gave the blonde a wink, saying, "You could say that."

"I've never seen you leave on time before," Garrus said with a chuckle, organizing his files on his desk. Just like every other day, they hadn't found much. But Garrus had seen something strange in the logs concerning those missing weapons from the smuggling deal. Something to do with the Blue Suns...

"Just ready to get out of here," she muttered, her leg jiggling up and down nervously beneath her desk.

Eddie Lang, a Probee Enforcement Officer, narrowed his blue eyes a little and stared at Mia, obviously trying to figure out what was going on. "Who is he?"

"He?" Mia asked innocently, cocking her human head to the side.

"Your hot date!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about. Oh, look at the time! Time to clock out!"

"I didn't even know if you knew the quitting time," Garrus said with a snort, "you never use it!"

She stood up and seemed to ignore him for a moment as she scanned herself out of the work day. Her distracted voice came back, saying, "I'll have to be leaving on time from now on. I hope you don't mind."

Garrus really didn't mind. Well, maybe he did. They were getting to about the midpoint of their investigation and if she started slacking off...

"Mia, who is he?" Eddie asked again, looking rather impatient and more than a little jealous.

"Bye!" she called out, almost running away from all of them in her haste to leave. The entire office looked after her in shock. They all knew Mia for an overtime worker. Her leaving early meant something strange was going on.

Eddie strolled over to Garrus, leaning his hip on the desk and looking down at him. "Do you know anything about this?" the human asked. He'd never spoken two words to Garrus before this moment. All Garrus knew was that Mia spent time with him the most out of anyone, this man and the two others.

_Come to think of it, I've never seen Mia with another female... _Garrus thought, wondering why that was. "No. We're just partners. We don't talk much about our personal lives."

The human looked at him as if he were crazy. "I see you two together all the time!"

What, was this human jealous of _everyone_? "Like I said, we're _partners_. Every time you see us together, it's because we're working." He couldn't even think about Mia like that! It didn't even seem right!

"Well...if she's getting herself into some kind of trouble...just make sure she's being smart about it, alright?"

"Right...because I always follow crazy humans into suicide missions."

oOo

The next day was the exact same. Except, before she left, she was putting on some kind of pink shoes on her feet and wrapping them up her legs. And the next day. And the day after that. This continued on for three weeks until they came up with a lead, finally!

"Look," she said, laying down the data pad and standing up. They were back at the Zakera Cafe again, where they'd met up with Admiral Anderson. Mia was, once again, working during lunch. Behind her, the news network droned on about lost Medi-Gel in the loading bay areas and how C-Sec was already on the investigation. It was Chellik's mission, actually. "Do you remember the lost weapons that we could never find?"

"Mia, we've been over this before...the weapons are gone," Garrus groaned, eating some rather under-boiled pyjak. "Now sit down and eat. Your ramen is getting cold."

She gave an irritated huff and sat back down, stuffing the datapad back in her purse. "You know what should be a crime? This food. That man is lying about ramen. It is _not _ a delicacy. It costs about a cred per pack! You boil the noodles in water and then add the seasoning however you feel necessary."

"Go do something about it then, Probee."

"I'm not a probee! And stop making me eat all the time. Humans don't eat as often as turians."

Garrus looked over her face, which was like a pouting child, and then over the rest of her body. He was happy to see that she'd gained a little more weight since they'd been partners. "From what I see, humans eat all the _time_. Now eat your food and be happy about it. If I didn't make you eat, you'd have withered away by now."

She stuck out her obviously-human tongue at him. He was tempted to reach out and grab it to keep her from retracting it, just to get a better look at it. It had been red and round, nothing like his, and slightly thick.

"Did you just stick your _tongue _out at me?" he asked, shaking his head at her. He was actually slightly amused. It seemed rather...childish.

"Yes," she said stubbornly, "I did. Now, if you'd just _look_ at this data pad..." She hadn't put it away—she'd just put it on her lap. "I found a hidden cache in the warehouses of the Zakera Ward, owned by a known leader of the Blue Suns!"

Garrus narrowed his eyes at her. They were on _lunch_! "Mia..."

"Don't _Mia _me," she said with her mouth slightly full of noodles, "the man works for Fist!"

Now _this_ caught his attention. Without telling her, he'd been doing some research on Fist. He was an obvious servant of the Shadow Broker, but no one could prove it. Now, though, his allegiances were turning elsewhere. Garrus was willing to bet Saren. "Go on."

Mia smirked and set her food down, ignoring Garrus's attempt to make her eat and talk at the same time. "I knew that would get your attention. I was looking into some secured newsfeeds of the warehouse and outside Chora's Den. The same man who owns the warehouse was seen meeting up with Fist outside the Den and then again outside warehouse thirty-two. Records show that large shipments have been arriving, but none of them have been checked by C-Sec. _These could be the weapons we're missing!_" Then, she muttered something under her breath, something about drugs. She shook her head and continued with, "I say we go there right after lunch and try to get as much information as we can without getting caught and then get the hell out of there."

Garrus took her data pad, glared at her until she grudgingly started eating again, and then looked at the information she'd gotten. He hated that she'd figured out basically the same thing he'd been trying to prove since the start of the investigation. And then he thought of something. "You know, this may run over. Are you willing on working overtime?" _For the first time in almost a month?_

Noodles stopped in mid air on the way to her mouth. She slowly set the fork down, clearly uncomfortable as she cleared her throat. "Ah...no, actually. I can't be late."

"To _what_, Mia?" he asked exasperatedly. He explained that the rest of C-Sec was taking bets on her whereabouts, ranging from a spicy man to bad deals on the side. "Even Pallin wonders where you go."

Her lips were tight, obviously a sign of anger. She put down her fork and angrily stood up, her chair screeching against the floor. "I don't have to take this." She grabbed her bag and snatched her datapad from him, shoving it in her purse and turning to leave.

Garrus cursed under his breath and quickly paid their tab before getting up to follow her. She'd made it pretty far before he caught up to her. "Mia, don't just walk away. They're worried about you."

"_Worried _about me?" she asked incredulously, her brown eyes looking up at him in disbelief. "You're serious?" She turned and stopped running away. They were at a viewing area of the Ward and it spread out behind her. Her fringe was whipping around her face, having been pulled from its ponytail as cars whipped by at high speeds. "When did _my personal business_ become a part of the force's morning over-the-coffee gossip?! What is so wrong with me wanting to have some time away from the office?!"

Garrus sighed and didn't even try to comfort her. He wouldn't even know where to start. He leaned against edge of the outcropping, looking down onto Zakara Ward's traffic lanes and bright cityscape, and relaxed there for a moment. It truly was beautiful—not in the way that Palavan was, but in its own way. But he knew that dark things were lurking underneath the pretty exterior. The Wards were still filled with crime, politicians were still corrupted. Would there _ever_ be a time or place where none of those things were true?

"I'm going to check out that warehouse now," she said softly, leaning against the railing too, except with her back to the view. "With or without you."

He sighed once again and leaned his head down, his shoulders tense. What would it take to show this woman that he could work just as well as she could? That she didn't have to fight him every step of the way?

A voice in his head told him that he was doing the exact same thing to her. He wanted to punch the voice. "You're not going in without backup. You don't even have a weapon."

When he looked up, a small smirk adorned Mia's face. "I _always_ have a weapon."

Garrus pushed up off of the railing and stepped in front of her, trapping her between the railing and himself. He felt the heat from his body being pulled into hers from their close proximity. For a brief moment, he saw a flash of fear in her eyes before she blocked it out. "Fine. We'll do this your way. But if you are in any trouble outside of work, I need to know about it."

It must have taken a moment for those words to sink in. She stood up straight, tilting her head up to look him in the eye from her shorter position. "Listen to me when I say that if I need help, I'm not afraid to ask for it. Unlike some people I know." She then pushed away from him and started walking toward the Warehouse district.

Garrus furiously stormed after her, grabbing her shoulder and turning her back around to look at him. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"I don't need _help_ with anything I'm doing, Garrus. What I'm doing is personal. As for you, you can't even stomach having a partner long enough to ask for help with your plan to infiltrate Chora's Den."

He grabbed her arm again, keeping her from leaving. Part of him enjoyed her flinch as he tightened his grip. The other part of him wondered how the hell she'd gotten that information. "Well, I have a partner. And she's acting like a _child_."

"Then stop treating me like one! I'm a full-grown adult, Garrus." She tore her arm from his grasp and turned to keep walking. They were almost there. The streets were starting to become darker and shadier people were walking around, making him nervous.

They came to the outside of a tall, black warehouse with very few doors or windows. He instantly got a bad feeling as she started hacking a side door with omni-gel. "Mia..."

"Look, just _stop pestering _me about it, it's my business! What do you care where I go on my time off? It's not like I'm leaving early!" She pushed past him and continued working on the door. Barla Von must have given her instructions. "It's not like my personal business is endangering me or anyone else in any way."

" Mia, wait, don't—!" Before he could grab her arm, she pushed open the door of the warehouse and walked in like she owned the place. The room was dark with a few overhead lights, lots of boxes, and at least fifteen pissed-looking mercs. She wasn't armed, prepared, and she didn't even understand that she'd just walked into a merc stronghold and was about to be shot point-blank.

Garrus rushed forward and tackled her to the ground just as the first shot rang out. He pulled her over to a few sturdy crates and shoved her to the ground for protection. "Are you _crazy_?!" His legs were straddling hers, his body pushing her torso up against the boxes. He pushed his mouth next to her ear to be heard over the ringing gunshots. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Shots rang out around them as she looked up into his eyes. Her breathing was deep and ragged. "I was going for something dramatic, actually. I think it worked." A sparkle was in her damned human eyes.

Frustrated, Garrus pushed up off of her and threw her his old Striker pistol. "Stay down and keep yourself safe. You have no..." Suddenly her omni-tool popped up and her entire body was covered in glowing yellow tech armor. "...armor."

Her chocolate eyes glared at him from under her dark hair. "Don't underestimate me, Garrus." She changed out the heat sink on her gun and peeked out from behind the boxes. "I know what I'm doing."

"I have _yet_ to see proof of that."

The glare she sent his way was only marred by the merc's scream as she shot him through the back of the neck. She stared taking them down left and right, bullets pinging off her tech armor. They got into a rhythm as they took down mercs, never both changing their heat sinks at the same time.

"Uh-oh," Garrus said as he watched mechs come out from the back of the warehouse. He tried taking one out, but when he shot one in the arm and it flew off, the machine still kept coming.

"Don't worry about them," his partner said, suddenly ducking behind the boxes. "Keep the mercs occupied. I'll deal with the synthetics." Her omni-tool glowed from the corner of his vision.

Garrus didn't ask questions—well, he wasn't going to _yet_. He took out mercs, trying to find a way away from their endless supply, when suddenly one of the robots started taking out men. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Where did you learn to hack a synthetic?" he demanded, ducking back down to pop a heat sink.

"I'm a tech specialist!" she yelled at him, ducking to rest her sore body. Multiple concussion shots had hit her at once. "Just because I know how to fight doesn't mean I don't know the technical side of combat."

He was silent for a moment over the comm as he took out an enemy merc with his sniper. "Well do it again! We just lost our little friend."

oOo

I smirked and gave a little exhale, glad that he wasn't going to question me. I was under pressure, under fire, and damn it if I wasn't PMSing. I was pissed off and I actually had some hostile mercs to take it out on. "You got it, _compadre._"

I straightened up and brought up my _Savant X_, the one thing I'd gotten before going onto Akuze. It'd saved my ass many times, and now it was going to again. I instantly started imputing programs, crazily moving my fingers across the screen.

"Any time now, Luna," Garrus said through the comm unit.

"Don't rush me! I'm a little rusty."

"Says the female who barged into a merc hideout!"

"Shut up, you're distracting me!" I quickly brought up a mass effect field around us, momentarily giving us a reprieve from the firefight. "Field up. And now for the offensive... Garrus, don't you dare shoot Drone!"

A small, floating purple combat drone popped up near him, starting to attack the enemy. "You named your combat drone _Drone_?"

"Don't judge me. I was six."

Garrus ducked once more, rolling over to me and changing his heat sink. His graceful movements distracted me for a moment, as did his proximity. "Where the hell did all this come from?"

"All what?" Ignoring his question, I stood on my knees and started taking out a few of the mercs who had advanced.

He nudged me over a little, ready to take a shot, when he noticed that I'd taken out the last of them. "Your tech abilities! Why haven't you told me what you can do?"

I looked up to his turian face and stared at his blue markings for a moment. I really couldn't come up with a good answer for it, so I simply said, "You never asked."

oOo

In the end, they'd never gotten the information. There were so many groups of mercenaries on the Citadel, not even belonging to the three big groups, that who knew where the actual stash of cargo was? They'd ended up taking the leader back to C-Sec for questioning and discovered that he'd been stealing from Huerta Memorial Hospital. The Medi-gel that had gone missing recently? It was his group of Blue Suns.

Now that all of that paperwork was over, Mia had gone back to leaving as soon as the day was over. She wouldn't tell anyone where she was going, still, and started to seem jumpy and much more tired. Garrus would never admit that he was worried about her, but he _was _worried about her performance on their mission.

So, one day, he decided to follow her. He realized that he had no stealth, but Mia wasn't exactly the golden child of recon, either. She had no clue that she was being followed and she didn't seem to care. He'd have to tell her to be more careful in the future.

She was making her way down to the lower wards, shedding her uniform as she went. Underneath seemed to be a thin piece of material that left her shoulders bare but covered her neck, back, and front. She was left in her work pants, but even her shoes had been changed into some strange human flesh-colored thing.

She then turned into an old warehouse that Garrus had never heard of. He cursed under his breath and waited a few moments before following her into the awful-looking, dark, black...warehouse?

He wasn't greeted with mercs, or crates, or crazy assassins. Instead, he was met with...females. Lots and lots of females of different species, all talking at the same time, laughing and giggling. He even caught one turian smiling and laughing with a human. There were lots of pink, baby blue, and yellow colors draped around, trying to make the place look brighter. Past all of the giggling girls, he saw a large, open area with actual wooden flooring. It was surrounded by mirrors.

_What the hell?_ Garrus wondered, moving around a group of young human females to stand in a dark corner and watch.

"Alright, girls!" he heard Mia call loudly over the tops of their giggling. "Listen up!" The room got deadly silent and all eyes turned to Mia, who was standing on the wooden floor. She was now in long black tights to match her top, with a pink sash around her hips. Her shoes were pink as well. "We've had a good few weeks of practice. Today, we will have a mini show in front of everyone in the classes. First up will be my adult class, just to demonstrate. Everyone sit down and we will get started."

The girls obediently sat down, crosslegged, on the floor. A total of ten adults stood up next to Mia, consisting of one turian and two asari. The rest were human. They looked at each other as Mia imputed something in her omni-tool and music started playing.

"Chloe Michel, Gabriella Daniels, and I are the main choreographers for the upper class. We will start off."

All of the women started moving their bodies in ways that Garrus had never imagined. Legs twirling, arms swirling. Their bodies were completely flexible, flowing and gyrating to the rhythm as the children _ooh_-ed and _ahh_-ed.

Garrus felt as though his jaw was permanently on the floor. He hadn't realized that _this_ was what Mia was doing. These children were duct rats and jail bait. And here she was hosting a free class for them?

He felt kind of...bad, now that he thought about it. She was doing something good for the Wards and he was questioning her. Even though she should have been working, at least she was getting out and doing something on her own. She'd even found some female friends.

Garrus sighed, ashamed at his bigotry, and made his way out. He'd had no reason to question her, especially when what she was doing was...well, it was actually good.

But that was when he bumped into a man coming into the room. "Excuse me," Garrus said, moving out of the way of the very large human.

"_No problemo_," the human said, in the same way that Mia always talked, in that strange language. The human didn't look back, instead intent on Mia, who was directing a group of young human children onto the wooden floor.

Garrus wouldn't have any problem with this, except that he watched the large human sweep Mia into his arms, twirl her around, bend her low, and start eating her face.

oOo

His body was hot against mine, pushing me up against the wall as his lips nibbled against my earlobe. "_Bonita_," he whispered, his hands running up my shirt, his thumbs rubbing against the under side of my breasts, "_envuelve tus piernas alrededor de mí."_

I moaned again and did as he said, kicking up and wrapping my legs around his firm, thick waist. "God, that's so sexy..." My hands pulled his face to mine as I opened my mouth to him, our tongues dueling and mapping the other's mouth. I hadn't had Spanish spoken to me in years, and having him order me in it...

He smirked against my lips and thrust against me, his hips flush against mine. "I try, _Bonita_."

I loved kissing James. He was so strong and encompassing, so it made sense that his kisses were the same way. He showed attention to every part of a girl – and I mean _every part._ He made you feel wanted and cherished...

And he was cherishing the upward movement of my shirt.. I instantly grunted and pushed him away from me, setting myself on the ground and righting my clothing. "I, ah...no, I'm sorry."

His puppy-dog hazel eyes looked at me in a pitiful way. "Everything okay? We can slow down if you want."

My body wanted anything _but _to slow down. I was just that it had been a while since I'd been with anyone...and James and I had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. And, well, I wasn't exactly the most comfortable with my body. "I just...it's been a while."

His perfectly male lips went up in a smirk and he brought a hand to my cheek lovingly. "We don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

I leaned my face into his hand and then entered his arms for a comforting hug. I could feel the fact that his body wasn't saying the same things as his lips, but he was still stopping because I asked. _Why am I turning away this perfect man?_ "It's not that, it's just..."

_My body is damaged. _

_My mind is in shambles._

_I'm damaged. _

_You deserve better._

"You don't have to explain," James said into my ear, holding me close to his heater-of-a-body. "I think I understand. We can just sit and watch that movie you were talking about. Sound good?"

I held back tears and nodded into his shoulder._ No, you don't understand. I'm hideous. I'm scarred. And I don't think that I can show you in the near future. You'll just have to understand and stay close...but I always push people away... _"Yeah...sounds good."


	8. Weekend Trysts

**This chapter is one of the reasons I'm playing it safe and rating this 'M'. Same for the next one, too!**

**Thanks to my new followers and awesome reviewers! I love hearing from you all!**

* * *

**Weekend Trysts **

The club was dark, with pulsing lights and sweaty bodies and potent drinks. The dance floor was mostly full of aliens—krogan, asari, turians. I didn't care. Blue asari danced around me, some rubbing up against my side, others staring from across the room. I wasn't sure what was attractive to them, but I'd caught their eyes.

Eddie, next to me, gave the place a scathing look. I ignored him and sauntered into the room, eager to dance and forget about the past two weeks trapped in a room with the 'who has a bigger stick up his ass' turian. I wanted a beer. I wanted to dance with a handsome man. And I didn't want to think about going into work Monday morning, my partner, or my boyfriend who probably wanted to dump me since I'd pretty much blue-balled him.

Garrus and Eddie had both come up to me with rather scathing remarks about James and the dancing they'd suddenly figured out about. What did they need to know about my personal life? It wasn't like James was a bad guy. Enlisted in the Marines, smart, handsome, funny, against drugs, romantic, _handsome_...just the kind of guy I needed. But for some reason, I wasn't all in for the relationship. Normally I would be gung-ho. I hadn't been laid in months. And yet I couldn't feel anything for the handsome man.

Neither Garrus nor Eddie had had anything nice to say about me working with a charity organization when they'd finally figured it out. I was getting troubled teens off of the streets! Most of them hadn't wanted to be in the class, but their parole officers had given them a glare and made them sign up. It'd been difficult, but they'd definitely gotten into the spirit...eventually.

I was just going to sit in a club and relax, I decided.

But then I saw him. He was sitting at a table near some strippers, doing a shot of some kind of turian beverage. I almost scowled, but then I noticed that he looked at me. He looked rather surprised, probably because of my appearance. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my clubbing wardrobe. But then I remembered that I didn't care what he thought.

Since when did Garrus come to places like Chora's Den? Maybe I really _didn't_ know who my partner really was. Was I kidding myself into thinking that he might actually be a good guy who was saddled with something he didn't want? Maybe he really _was_ just a dick. So I smiled smugly, waved, and drug the three of my friends over to a booth.

The look on his face was priceless.

I sat down with Eddie, Jason, and Leroy in a corner booth and ordered three rounds right off the bat. "On me," I said, knowing that I made more on my Probee Investigation paycheck than they did on their plain Probee checks. Not to mention the extra money from being "the face of C-Sec."

Obviously, they didn't argue. None of them talked about the dancing or my new boyfriend, knowing that I wasn't wanting to talk about it. We also didn't talk about work. We got through two of the three rounds before an asari came up to the table. I was sandwiched in between two very handsome human men, so when the silvery asari asked me to dance, I was a little shocked. "Come on, Mía, live a little!" Jason and Leroy gave out cat calls when I hesitantly started to follow.

She was short and curvy, with silvery markings over her rather pretty face. Her hands were cool and soft against mine as she pulled me to the dance floor. Gyrating bodies pushed us closer, so I let myself get lost in the music. Her 'hair,' or whatever it was on the top of her head, was inlaid with silver glitter. Her clothes were rather...sparse. But I just wanted to dance. She moved sensuously near my body, her curves making me move closer, then further, before feeling her slide up against my side. Her lips brushed against my ear, her breath barely registered over the pounding music.

This was forgetting.

oOo

Garrus didn't understand how anyone could frequent such a place as Chora's Den. He felt dirty, itchy, as if he wanted to kill every mercenary in the room. But he couldn't. Because of the rules. So he sat back in his chair, glanced at an asari stripper or two, and took a swig of turian brandy and tried to wait. Too bad he didn't have any patience.

He scanned the crowd, determined to find one of Fist's men before the night was through. His name was Licen, a turian, with a bare face and almost green plates all over his body. Apparently his red eyes would give him away. So far, the only thing he'd seen that had caught his eye were the unusual amount of humans in the room. Many of them were male, sitting in one corner playing drinking games and watching strippers, occasionally tipping. They were loud and obnoxious, but they weren't causing any trouble and they tipped pretty well.

Garrus was interrupted in his scope by a turian who sat next to him. He could easily see that the male was drunk, so he looked over and asked, "Anything I can do for you?"

"See, now there are some manners." Garrus instantly straightened up when he noticed that the turian was in fact Septimus Oraka, retired General. He felt ashamed for the first feelings of irritation. "You don't seem like the kind who usually comes down here...good C-Sec fellow like yourself."

The turian Agent nodded, taking another sip of his brandy and returning to watching the crowds. "It's places like this that make me see that we aren't doing a good enough job here."

Septimus raised his glass and looked at Garrus expectantly. "To the job that will never be done!" Garrus knew he had to toast to that. He would never get his job done if he couldn't find a way to link Saren to the Geth. To do that, he had to link someone to Fist, then Fist to the Shadow Broker, who obviously was using the Geth.

Just as he was about to finish the toast, Garrus saw something in the crowd that caught his attention. Or, rather, some_one_. _I thought I saw her leave!_ She was in the middle of the dance floor, between three scantily-clad asari, dancing as if she could forget her troubles. Many of the patrons in the room were watching her move enticingly against the other women, their hands on her dark, shining skin and trailing over every piece of her they could touch. She was covered, but it was as if the fabric was painted on—skin-tight white pants tight to her legs with a black top that went all the way to her wrists and up to her chin. He realized that he'd never seen her neck before. On her feet were inventions that made her legs look as if they reached said neck, making her another five inches taller than she already was.

Garrus had never been interested in humans, or asari, for that matter. But he couldn't say that his male interest wasn't piqued. He'd never seen a human so...undressed. Technically she wasn't, but he could see everything. Her back moved as if her skin was stretched taught over lean muscle. Her shoulders and collarbone looked so frail under the black cloth. Her hair, which was always up while they were working, was flung behind her back, curling and falling softly like feathers. But it was her face that really got him.

She was completely and utterly loose. She was in her element. Her plump lips were open in a constant gasp, her darkly-shadowed eyes lidded and begging anyone to come closer. She knew how to move in a way that made all of the eyes on her move with her hips.

Those hips which had been grabbed by James Vega, Sergeant, N3. She and the officer were dating. Garrus told himself that he only cared because her mind wasn't completely on the mission.

"I don't know much about human females," Septimus said, taking liberties with Garrus's bottle of brandy, which he would have to pay for in full later, "but that one...she even catches _my_ eye."

It was no secret that Septimus had a thing for asari. Not humans, but asari were pretty damn close. "Has everyone been watching her?" Garrus asked, hoping for a rebuttal, hoping that he wouldn't have to drag her out of there to keep her safe. He wasn't quite sure where she would put her weapon...it wouldn't quite fit anywhere in _that_ outfit.

"Almost everyone," Septimus confirmed, making Garrus curse under his breath. The old General noticed this and asked, "Women troubles?"

Maybe it was the brandy making him talk, but he felt as if he should talk to this man. He seemed to have a lot of problems himself. "You could say that." His blood thickened when he saw Mía rub up against an asari on purpose, smiling wickedly at the blue being before whispering something in her ear. Then she laughed, openly, which Garrus had never seen her do before.

"She must be trying to make you jealous, then." The old General grunted and downed his shot quickly. "It would work on me."

"I'm not even sure what jealousy feels like." He knew that he felt irritated, sure. _I mean, what is she even doing here? She could ruin my entire investigation. Shouldn't she be out with her boyfriend?_

"Well, here's a word of advice from an old General—if a woman goes that far to get away from you, to tease you like _that,_ you've probably done something to piss her off. Take it from someone who _knows_." Then, with that, the older male took the bottle and stumbled away, making quite a comical scene.

Garrus felt himself chuckling as he settled lower in his chair, watching the free show in front of him. _You have no idea._ He wondered if Mía knew that she was putting on a show for every man in the room. Or that even the Krogan were taking notice.

Something about the way she moved...turian women, or Krogan women, for that matter, couldn't bend like that. Only asari and humans could bend their bodies, arching them to appease their mates. He remembered one of the turian women he'd been with. She'd been flexible, yes...but not in this way.

He remembered her at the dance. She'd been able to pull her leg straight up, making it parallel with her other leg that was holding her up. She'd been able to put both legs on the ground, making her body parallel to them. It made his mouth dry just to think about it.

Suddenly, a male turian walked up behind her, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her to him. He said something, low and dark in her ear. Garrus could feel his anger bubbling as he saw her hooded eyes twinkle for a moment...but then he saw fear. Obviously she'd been drinking, but she became sober as the turian glared at the asari around her, making them find another object to grind upon.

Garrus's mandibles fluttered furiously as she fought to get away from the man, only for him to bite at her shoulder—_at her shoulder_! He was making a statement to every male in the room that he had claimed her for his. The male's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer and still talking in her ear.

That was when he noticed the flash of a red iris. And green plating. The male also had no markings on his face as his teeth nibbled at the junction of Mía's shoulder and neck.

That was when he knew she was in danger.

Slowly, so as not to draw suspicion, Garrus stood up and made his way towards the dance floor. His brandy had been left, forgotten, at the table. His sights were now set on her long, taught legs. Her face, before holding fear, was now angry and she looked as if she were in pain. From the turian's teeth! The bastard had marked her!

Garrus couldn't help the growl that came out of his chest. It made it easier to navigate the dance floor—patrons easily moved out of the way for him. By the time he'd reached Mía, she'd squirmed out of the male's grasp and was glaring at him. Now he could hear her. "Do not even _think_ about touching me again."

"That's all any of us have been thinking about," the male growled lowly, arousal in his voice. The closer Garrus got, the more pheromones he could smell wafting off of the both of them. Those, mixed with some kind of special perfume he'd never smelled on her, made the air taste...interesting. "Come on, Lips. Show me what they can do."

Anger and arousal fueled Garrus, one mental image probably sticking with him forever as he finally reached her. A turian male's arousal was obvious to Garrus...but maybe not to a human nose. So, when he came up behind her, he was surprised to feel her relax against him. As if she knew who he was. He could see that the previously smooth shoulder of her top was now riddled with small scrapes. It was red and irritated.

"Garrus," she breathed in relief, making his indistinctly male side flare in into smug awareness.

The turian Agent looked up to the green-plated, bare-faced male and bared his mandibles in competition and fury. Mía, he noticed, was breathing in deep, ragged breaths and grasping his shirt in her tight fists. "Leave her alone," he said simply, hating the way she whimpered against him. It was all because of this male.

The male looked angry for a moment, already having claimed Mía, before his face relaxed into a sly grin. "We could easily share," the bastard said lowly, making Mía gasp in horror.

She looked up at Garrus as if he actually would do that to her, but he nudged her head down with his chin and pulled her into him, cupping her elbow to hug her to his chest. This was what he would do to show a female that he meant no harm, that he just wanted to help her. And that she needed to shut up and let him deal with it. Normally a sane female of his species would fight against the submission, but she knew that she was stuck between one turian and another. "Garrus," she said softly against his neck, instantly relaxing into him, "he works for Fist."

He'd almost forgotten that this seductive, long-legged woman was his partner. She sure as hell looked different in her uniform. But, he needed to get her out of here. The other bodyguards were noticing what was happening. _Maybe I can work this my way... _"Maybe we could," he said simply, feeling her stiffen against him. He could see her chocolate eyes glaring indignantly at him. "But this is my female...and I don't like to share." He felt her heart flutter in her chest, hear her breathing shorten next to his ear.

"You need to mark her, then," the male said in a growl, staring at her shoulder with interest. "I was close to biting her myself. Why don't we move this outside?"

Garrus looked around, realizing that everyone was watching their interaction. _Shit. Now my cover is blown._ "How about I just take her home?"

"You do that...and rough her up a bit for me." The male showed his teeth in a threatening manner, making Mía shiver in disgust against him. Garrus wondered if she felt that way when she saw him. "If you ever want to share...the name's Licen. I'm here all week." With that, he gave off a few extra doses of male arousal, seeing if the human would follow, but it didn't work. Garrus was rather sure that she couldn't smell or feel them at all.

And then he was gone.

oOo

He drug me to the alleyway around the back of Chora's Den, away from cameras, bodyguards, and customers, until we were alone. And then... "What the _hell_ were you thinking?!"

My back was pinned against the wall, my wrists above my head, held by one talon-filled hand. Garrus's body was poised angrily, his sharp face almost touching mine. His mandibles kept fluttering outwards, showing menacing teeth that scared the hell out of me. He was also growling...at me.

I had no clue what had just happened. When I'd first felt the arms around me, I'd figured it would be Garrus. A drunk Garrus, seeing as how much brandy I'd watched him consume. But he had smelled strange. The male had been biting at my shoulder, effectively turning me off. He started talking about showing me one of Fist's back rooms. It would have been a good undercover stint, but I hadn't had any protective armor or a weapon of any kind except my fists. And I wasn't sure how much an overload would work on a turian.

"Spirits, he could have..." His mandibles fluttered against my clothed neck, almost tickling as he became silent for a moment. His other hand, which wasn't holding my wrists, landed possessively on my waist. I was trying to consider being scared, but this was Garrus...right? He then put his forehead to mine and Garrus then smelt..._good_. I suddenly relaxed against him, finally out of danger. But then he yelled, "Answer me, damn it!"

"I was dancing!" I said, exasperated as I tried to wiggle out of his hold. That hand, tight on my waist, relaxed a little. "I was dancing, and relaxing, and he came up to me talking about Fist, alright?" Then I wondered the same thing about Garrus. _What is _he_ doing here?_ I looked down at his civvies, (thick black pants and a black, skin-tight under armor top) and saw his gun peeking out of a hidden holster in his thick pants. Then it clicked. "Wait a minute, you're on duty!"

He faltered, which gave me a chance to get out of his grip. I stood my ground against him, trying to appear intimidating in my clubbing wardrobe. It wasn't working very well and he took advantage of that. The turian took a relaxed, irritated pose with his arms across his chest as he looked down on me condescendingly. "Your point?"

Realizations started filling my head—he was there _without me. _On a _mission_. I remembered him researching Chora's Den and Fist a few days ago... "You waited until I was off duty to go on a mission?!" I was so pissed that I literally reached out and shoved him backward.

He seemed surprised that I had managed to unbalance him. "No, Mía, I didn't. This was just the perfect timing. Until _you_ ruined it!"

"How did I ruin it? You ruined my night out, how about that! I wanted to get away from you, not have you try and protect me. I had it under control."

"Not from where I was standing."

"You were standing right behind me, if I remember correctly. The second I knew that he was one of Fist's guys and I backed off. But you came in and had to act all macho." I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but one thing kept replaying in my mind. My eyes snapped open and I yelled, "_Share me_? You wanted to _share me?!_"

He looked slightly flustered, giving me a point in my favor. "You broke my cover, I had to come up with _something_."

_He's such an idiot! _"Why the hell didn't you ask me for back-up!"

That was when I noticed that the brandy had left a _little _bit of a toll on my partner. He side-stepped before catching himself. "Why are you wearing practically nothing?"

Two could play the drunken insult game. "You sure looked like you were having fun drinking on duty, Vakarian."

"I wasn't drinking..."

"General Septimus could refute that. You are _drunk_."

"I may be drunk, but you are an idiot. In the morning, I will be sober, whereas you will still be an idiot."

_That's IT! _I shoved him again, this time making him growl once more.

He stepped forward menacingly. "You think that you can walk into a well-known Shadow-Broker agent's bar wearing _that_ and not get noticed?" He shoved me back, gaining ground on me. "You think that you can dance like _that_ and not have every male in the room have his eye on you?" One more time, he pushed me against the wall, my back fully flush as he stepped as close as possible.

That meant that _he_ had had his eye on me. I could feel them on my face now as I set my hands on his arms, trying to keep him away. I refused to look at him. I refused to let his comforting presence or his warm hide lull me into feeling safe. "It was all innocent."

"Innocent? You were dancing with three half-naked asari!" He leaned down and let his mandibles move over my neck again. It felt strange, almost _intimate_, kind of like a turian kiss. That smell came over me again. That delicious smell that made my cheeks warm. "You...you smell like him..." I flinched as Garrus's teeth raked over the exact same area that the male had violated. Then I felt awkward as his tongue—obviously a very drunken tongue—laved over the spot in almost a caress. It _burned!_

With my cheeks a bright red, I felt the sting of the bites go away. Garrus's body slowly pushed against mine, making my breathing shorten and a moan come from my partially-drunken lips.

I had to remember that I was with James. James and I had had some fun, and I really liked him. A lot. He was sweet, funny, and romantic. Yet still, I hadn't been laid in a _long time. _It didn't help that I wouldn't let him get my clothes off.

But...but this was Garrus. He was my partner and a _turian_ for crying out loud, I couldn't...I couldn't... But he could. One of his hands gently tangled itself in my hair and tugged my head further to the side, allowing him better access to my neck.

I gasped as his teeth bit up a little higher on my neck. I almost bit my tongue to keep the small cry out of his ear. "G-Garrus...!"

"_That damn bare face..._" he whispered, moving his teeth up to my ear and gently biting. I'd never been into biting before, but Garrus could get me addicted. There was something sensual about being utterly helpless to a man I trusted with my life, to let him mark me and trust him not to hurt me.

Heat ran through me as he thrust his hips against my thigh. Before, where I'd felt nothing, I now felt something hot and rather large pushing into the crease between my thigh and woman-ness.

I couldn't help the groan that came from my lips. Maybe it was the booze. Maybe it was the fact that the ally was dark, I had my eyes closed, and I hadn't been laid in a _really_ long time. Or maybe I just trusted Garrus and I didn't want to think anymore. I leaned up, planting kisses along his neck.

Now it was his turn to groan as one of my hands found the fringe behind his head. His teeth dug in sharply to the top of my shoulder just as my nails dug into a certain part of his fringe. "You don't know what you're doing," he groaned, his tongue moving over the sting of the heat he'd left on my shoulder.

No, I didn't. I was in completely strange territory. I was dry-humping my turian partner's leg in the back alley behind a shady bar. And I was human. And I was _his partner_. And I was taken!

With a gasp I pushed away, feeling the heat of embarrassment and alcohol fly through my face. "G-Garrus, we can't do this."

"You were doing just fine in there," he said drunkenly, sending a pang of hurt to my chest. I knew that he was right. But all I'd been doing was forgetting. I hadn't been doing drugs, sleeping with multiple people...I'd been dancing. And dancing was the only way that I could forget.

Then I remembered that I'd been trying to forget _him_. His words stung, but even more so did my embarrassment that I let him get the better of me. So I pushed him out of my way, storming towards the rapid transit station. I heard him stalking after me and he grabbed my wrist, turning me around to look him in the eye. "I'm not done yet."

The emotion in his gaze sent heat through my body. I almost didn't have the will to move...but I found some. "Yeah, well I am!" And, with that, I snatched my hand out of his and stormed away.

_I'm going to hate Monday._


	9. Sparring

**This is probably one of my favorite chapters, guys!**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Miss Congeniality and my new, favorite reader, Mordinette! (Also, love the name by the way.) This wasn't going to get put up as early, but her words inspired me to post it! I have three more chapters edited and ready to go...let's see who can get me to post early again!**

* * *

**Sparring**

It'd been a long morning. Not only had he not seen his partner since they met awkwardly at their desks, (really, had it only been an hour?,) but he'd gotten nowhere in his search to infiltrate Fist. After having blown his cover at Chora's Den, he knew that he'd have to be even more careful around that part of the Wards.

Well, _he_ hadn't blown his cover, he had to remind himself. It'd been Mía's fault. Mía and the human-humping turian that couldn't keep his hands off of her. Of course that man had been one of Fist's body guards. It was just _perfect._

But then again, Garrus hadn't been able to keep his drunken hands off of her, either. If he were human, he would have blushed in embarrassment. How had he gotten so carried away? He didn't have some human fetish, and a female like Mía really pissed him off. Maybe it was a combination of the alcohol and all of the stress built up from work.

He knew that he had to work it off. So, growling, the turian Agent packed up his things and headed to the gym. That woman was just trouble. All she did make his life miserable. So, he needed to work out some steam. And then he figured out where she'd been for the past hour.

The gym was mostly empty, only two turians and one other human besides her using the equipment. She was all alone in the middle, standing on one of the mats and pounding away at a punching bag. She was wearing knee-length, skin tight pants. They were black, as well as the black spandex turtleneck underneath a dark blue, equally skin-tight C-Sec tank top. Her strange-looking human feet were bound with tape, as were her ankles, wrists, and knuckles.

He moved up to stand against the equipment a few feet away from her, watching her, and she didn't even notice. She furiously kept jabbing away, the muscles in her arms tense from the workout. His eyes moved to her tiny waist, wondering how humans could obtain such...small measurements. Also, he couldn't quite figure out why her hips needed extra padding on her butt.

Humans smelled strange when they worked out. And, with the smell of two turian men on her, she smelled even more strange. "What's wrong with _you_?" Garrus asked, letting his eyes dance down her persperating body. He suddenly felt embarrassed for his smell on her. All the other turians in the room could probably notice that he'd marked her.

Her tape-wrapped hands stopped for a moment before she jabbed the punching bag aggressively once, turning to meet his eyes. He was surprised at how much anger her face held. "_Me?_" she asked incredulously, giving a good one-two to the defenseless bag. "Oh, nothing, obviously. Just punching the hell out of a bag. Wanna take its place?"

Usually he was the sarcastic one, so it took him a moment to understand that she was mad at him. And she wanted to use him as a punching bag! "I don't know why you're mad at _me_. I still haven't heard a thank you." He'd practically pried that male's talons off of her when the time had come. She hadn't realized how, er..._attracted_ the turian had been to her. And that was what had confused Garrus the most. He knew that some turians had fetishes, but this was Mía, the woman he despised!.

And the woman he also had his eyes, hands, and tongue on last night. And, he realized, his own scent. The other males in the room looked at her with raised eyeplates and then to him curiously. Garrus sighed and looked at her upper neck, noticing that there was a lot of irritation above the line of her turtleneck. It sent anger through him that the turian had laid teeth on her. Then again, what could he say? He'd done the exact same thing in his fit of anger and lust. He'd seen fit that _his_ marks were deeper and more noticeable.

She did a complete 180 and kicked the bag, almost knocking it off its hinges. "_Thank you_? For what, getting a horny turian off me? I've dealt with pigs before, Garrus, I don't need a babysitter."

That's what he felt like most of the time. He had to let her into buildings, watch out for her on the weekends, constantly give her directions around the Citadel, and tear horny turians away from her if the problem presented itself. And he wasn't quite sure what a pig was, either. "You attract a _lot_ of danger."

"Yeah, well, that's how I find all the bad guys," she growled, giving one last weak punch to the bag before turning to him. "I'm not even mad about that. That guy was a pig and he smelled weird. What I'm _furious _about is the fact that you went on a mission _without _me!"

Smelled weird? That was an understatement! He'd been giving off enough scents to make females from the home world come sniffing away! "You were off-duty when I decided to go," he said, rolling his eyes at her. He hadn't moved from his spot and yet she still hadn't let up beating the hell out of that bag. "You were lucky I showed up. And anyways, what were you doing in _Chora's Den_, of all places?" His head still hurt just thinking about the pounding music and lights.

"I've already told you, I was out dancing—with my—friends," she said between punches, really knocking the punching bag around. Garrus was surprised at how much force could come out of her scrawny arms. "I was having good, innocent fun dancing somewhere that wasn't where _you_ would be!"

He felt bitter about how she'd gone there just to be away from him on her day off. And how she used her after-work dancing against him, even though he had been the one to follow and spy on her. "You wouldn't pull of innocent if it bit you in your squishy ass," Garrus scoffed, not able to help the laugh that came out of his throat.

"You know what?" she asked angrily, turning to face him, "Pull_ this _off!" She jumped up to wrap an arm around his neck, bending him at the waist. She started pulling him across the mat. "I'm not just some...some eye-candy that walks around with an empty head! But I'm not squishy, I'm human, and I can take care of mys—_ah!_"

He was surprised at her strength, but quickly recovered and put one arm between her legs, one arm behind her back, and locked his hands, picking her up. He held her in the air for a moment, hearing her scream of frustration, feeling her pert breasts against his chest plate—_as she put those soft, moist, oh-so human lips against his neck as she thrust against his leg needily—_and then threw her to the ground, landing with one arm on either side of her. The air rushed out of her as he took a deep breath. Her face, round and oh-so human, was shocked. "Don't kid yourself. None of us think of you squishy humans in that way. Or at _all._"

Behind him, her leg was raised. He didn't notice until her heel caught him between the cowl and his sensitive fringe, sending him into a pained roll. She then caught him when he was on his stomach. If she had been a turian, that would have been a killing blow, but her heel was rather...blunt. One of her arms went around his neck, locking in place as she straddled his waist. "This is what I get for trying, huh? This is what I get for being your friend, your _partner_? Lying, secrets..." She ground her hips into his back to keep him down. _She rolled her hips onto him, letting out a wonton moan and breathy little gaps that made him bite down on her neck and thrust against her._

Garrus heard Chellik and a few other Officers surrounding the mat, making bets. "One hundred creds on Garrus," he heard Heron say.

"I don't know, she's got a _lot_ of anger," Chellik said, making Garrus's blood boil. "I'll take that bet."

He shifted his weight, sending them into rolls across the mat. "Just get _over _yourself!" He twisted in her grasp, grappling her shoulders between his claws and clenching down hard. "I go on _one _mission without you and..._grah!_" Finally he got his feet under him, her legs wrapped around his hip spikes, and he pushed off. "Its not like you haven't gone on a mission without _me _before!" They rolled over her back, then his, until she moved her legs up, putting her knees around his face and clamping down.

Hard.

Garrus struggled, biting his talons into her thighs and thrashing his legs about, but she didn't budge. For a human, she weighed quite a bit when she forced her muscles into it. And she had him on his back—on the floor, with his hump to the ground. It made it even harder to get up. Plus, her thighs, so squishy and soft, were clamped on either side of his face. He had a clear smell of her womanhood, now, making this sparring arousing for him but incredibly dangerous for her.

_He could picture flicking his tongue down where he'd been rubbing, making her cry out his name in arousal. No turian female would let him anywhere near, but that _smell_ she was giving off, the arousal..._

He had to get these thoughts out of his head! He'd never been attracted to humans, or asari, or even Quarians. He'd had a few casual relationships with some females of his own species, and all of them had started like this—in a fight. But, even though he'd never thought of humans in that way before, he couldn't help but admire her angry, dilated eyes or the way her thighs quivered around his face.

He needed to get laid by a turian woman...and fast.

"That was the first _fucking_ day, when you were pouting at your desk. So, what, I'm just here for 'sometimes?'" she asked breathlessly, looking down on him. Her heaving chest distracted him for a moment. He wondered what made them so attractive to human men."I'm just here so I can be the chick that gets information? Is it easier for me, since I'm female?" She relaxed her legs a little and Garrus fought the urge to bite her thigh where he knew the artery was. It was pure instinct. He tried to fight it, and it helped when he became distracted by how soft her voice had become. "We've talked about this before...but you're still pushing me away-ah!"

She leaned back far enough that he could wrap his legs around her, finally pulling her back and putting her back to the ground. He finally had the upper hand! "I never wanted you!" Her knees were still around his face, so she squeezed in anger. They rolled to the side, fighting for dominance.

"Let's suspend time for like...a _second_ here and pretend that you're not still licking old wounds," she growled, gasping when he bucked his hips against her back to make her let go. She didn't budge, but his plates started to move from the adrenaline. He growled when her legs squeezed her maidenhood closer to his face. "We've been partners for two _months_ and you _still_ can't get over the fact that we're together?!"

"This is _my_ assignment!" He smelled her spiking arousal at the same time that he tightened his grip on her thighs and pulled her legs apart, leaving gashes in her short, skintight black pants. The pain turned into pheromones in the air. The turians in the room suddenly held more of an interest in the battle.

Mia gasped and rolled over, onto her feet. He also jumped to his feet, watching in satisfaction as she rubbed her sore thighs. But then the smell of her blood hit him and he crouched low, growling, ready to make her submit to him. This was far enough. If they kept sparring, he would hurt her. But he could think of other ways to make her submit...

_He thrust into her, her back arching as she cried out in a mixture of pain and arousal. He grasped her hair, pulling her back so that he could make her bend in that human way. She was on her hands and knees, turian-style, so that she couldn't fight back. _

His satisfaction was to be diminished when she charged at him, kicking one leg out from under him. He then felt her elbow in his back as they both fell to the floor.

One arm was around his neck as she said, "For once, stop thinking about _yourself_!" She tried to pull him back up, his back to her, but he used his superior weight to throw her over his head, pushing her into the ground. She landed on her back, instantly losing her breath.

He watched her chest heave for a moment as she regained her breath. _Believe me, Luna, I'm not just thinking of myself._ The men around them started clapping, the turian males were watching Mia with interested eyes. Chellik started paying Heron the money he lost. Garrus let his mandibles ruffle in pleasure, finally having defeated her. "I'm thinking about _my job,_" he said, glancing down at her haughtily. "I don't need a partner to do that."

In her fury, she lashed one foot out, catching him behind the knee, above his leg spike, and sent him sprawling to the floor next to her. He now knew what it felt like to "have the air knocked out" of him.

Chellik smirked, the bastard, and took his money back.

"You would have gotten _no where_ without my help," she said lowly, her head turned towards him. He glared into her brown eyes, ignoring the scent of her blood, of her arousal, of the adrenaline pumping through the air. Of his own smell attached to her body. "That information on Saren stealing the weapons from the smuggling ring, getting Anderson to talk about what happened at his Specter review. That was _me. _But you...you set up the meetings with Anderson and organized all of our information by importance. You did all the paperwork I didn't know about. You remind me to _eat_, for God's sake. Just...make me feel like I'm doing something right. I know that I got in trouble with that Merc gang...I would have been dead if you weren't there. That's why I need a partner who will help me learn, _mi compadre_ in times that I need assistance, and someone I can..._trust_! Not someone who refuses backup and goes on dangerous missions without me."

His mind started to clear slightly, but her scent still hung on the air. He found it hard to concentrate on her eyes as his hands clenched by his side, testing to make sure that they still worked. "Mia..."

"_Ai, _no, don't 'Mia' me." Her breath finally back, she rolled over and stood up above him. She held out her hand to him and he wondered if her frail human hand could pick him up. This made him hesitate, making her give out a disgusted sigh. "I'm sick of this, Garrus." She reached down anyway, grabbing his hand and pulling him to stand inches away from her body. He could feel the heat radiating off of her, see the sweat that led a tiny river down her cheek... He was surprised when her big eyes turned up to him, sadness etched in her face. "I thought we were...we were friends. But I guess not. Starting tomorrow, you either change your attitude...or I'm not your partner anymore. I'm pretty sure I know which you're going to pick."

With that, she let go of his hand and turned, slowly limping out of the gym.

Garrus didn't know if he felt happy, confused, or completely disgusted with himself.


	10. Sick Day

**This is one of my favorite chapters, telling a little about Mia's past! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sick Day**

It was ten minutes past seven. In the month and a half that Garrus had known Mia, only once had he beaten her to work, and never had she been late. He looked to the desk next to him, filled with mementos of her. Her family, small trinkets from military missions, and a memo to get a "Christmas tree," whatever that was. He suddenly felt bad for the way he'd treated her. She was just as worthy as respect as any other turian. She'd been through just as much, if not more.

"Heron," he said to the Officer who scanned people into the Zakera Ward, "have you seen Mia?"

"You gave her quite a beating yesterday," he said, shrugging. "She's probably licking her wounds at home." That meant that she wasn't in C-Sec. Mia lived in Bachjret Ward, so she would have had to go through Heron that morning to get to work. "She's just human."

_A human who's been pushed into my life...like hell she's just gonna walk out of it._ She had all of the information on their case. He hadn't even thought of copying it because she kept adding more. She was the one who was always on time to meetings, covering for him if he was late. And she was the only other person he felt would do this job justice.

_Damn it,_ he thought, standing up and moving towards Pallin's office, _I wish I didn't respect her._ Pallin was sitting at his desk when Garrus came in and the old turian looked up with a blank expression. "Garrus, what can I do for you?"

"Where is Mia Luna-Galván?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest for effect. It didn't work because he was out of breath and worried that he may have been a _little _too rough the day before.

"She called in sick," Pallin said, touching his claws together in front of his face. "She didn't contact you?"

Garrus heard the smile in the Executor's voice but didn't point it out or let himself acknowledge it. "We're not exactly...close."

"I saw your little battle in the ring yesterday," he said off-highhandedly, making Garrus's fringe rise in anger. "I would caution you against using your talons against a human. She may act tough, but she's just as malleable as the rest of them." Garrus knew that he should have said something, but he felt angry that the older turian saw through him. "Oh...and she put in a partner-exchange request in your name, saying that you didn't want to be her partner anymore. Is there a reason for that?"

"She's just sick, probably a little delusional," Garrus heard himself say. He tried to convince himself that they needed to be partners because she had all the information, but he knew better. Unfortunately he knew that it was because she was right—he needed her. Not just for the information, but because they watched each other's backs. Now they just needed to trust each other.

"So you want her as a partner?" Pallin asked, one eye plate rising. "Because I can easily transfer this case to you and Chellik, if you'd like. Luna-Galván will be transferred from Probational Investigative down to Enforcement. You will still be able to make Investigator, if you want."

This was something that pulled him in, but he wouldn't work with Chellik even if it was to be the leader of all the armies on Pavalen. "Yes, I want her as a partner. She's not bad...for a human."

Pallin smirked. "I thought I was doing something right when I put you together."

Garrus, still not one to talk back to his superior officer, nodded and gave his turian salute. "Right."

Pallin then lowered his eyes, working on the thing he'd been messing with before Garrus had interrupted. "You have an hour or two to go check up on her. Then, when she's better, healed, whatever is wrong with her, I have a different assignment for you."

The younger turian couldn't help but stagger after hearing that. "But sir, what about—"

"Your mission with Saren is full time. This will only take a few days, maybe a week. I've heard talk some rumors...I'll let you read the file." He passed the data pad over to Garrus, who snatched it up. "Don't look at it until you're both fit for duty. Dismissed."

oOo

"Mia," Garrus said into her intercom for the third time, "dammit, open the door!"

Once again, there was no answer. Garrus finally gave up and started hacking her security console. He thought that it would be easy, but he was surprised to find four firewalls and an automated drone ready to attack him as he hacked his way in. Finally, though, after twenty minutes of looking suspicious in the complex's hallway, he made it through.

He walked into a white, open area. On his left were two couches and three chairs, all angular and black, surrounding a glass coffee table and sitting in front of a hologram television. On his left was a black wooden table, surrounded by dining chairs of the same material. A single glass vase with a rather pretty red flower sat in the middle. Up on the left was an open doorway that he guessed led to the kitchen.

Nothing was out of place. He couldn't see a spec of dirt anywhere in the vast space. He almost felt bad for walking on the pristine white marble floor. It was almost like the neighborhood she lived in—clean, quiet, and almost too perfect.

Garrus followed the room back to a hallway, leading to where her scent was the strongest. The first door on the left was a bathroom, and the first on the right was a guest bedroom. The door at the very end held a smell that was very her...and smelled also of blood.

Garrus hesitantly opened the door and peered in. He was met with baby blue walls, sand-colored floors, and a daybed. But clothes scattered the floor. There was a mess of bandages coming from the left, following down to the bottom of the bed. He then saw Mia lying on the floor, her face in a pillow, the blankets thrown off of her.

"Mia?" Garrus asked, stepping forward. He noticed that she was practically nude—she wore a pair of cloth underwear and a loose chest piece made of the same fabric. (Cotton, he believed.)

What really made him stop and stare were the long, thin, blood-red scars running up and down her spine. Those, mixed with obvious acid burns, coated her back and the back of her neck, leading down past her underwear. The marred flesh covered almost her entire body from her neck to her waist and down to her thighs.

She groaned and hid herself behind her tangled black fringe. "Go away, Garrus." She hadn't bothered moving and he could barely hear her voice while it was muffled in the blankets.

Garrus crouched down near her, wanting to reach out and comfort her and not knowing a way to do it. He watched the skin on her back shift and roll from the muscles and bone underneath. Even her back was colored as darkly as the rest of her body, the only exception being her scars, which were white. He resisted the urge to run a hand over an unpuckered portion of skin to see if it was as smooth and soft as it looked.

"What's, ah...what's wrong?" He then noticed the bruises all up and down her long, tanned legs, around her waist, and all up and down her bare arms. "Oh." Next he saw the three long, deep gouges that his talons had made on her thighs. She'd wrapped them in bandages, but the scabs had broken again and she was bleeding. If possible, it looked worse than it had yesterday. The wounds were inflamed and a scary-looking red.

"Yeah..._oh_." She groaned again and tried to get up, but failed. When he tried to help her, she doubled her efforts and pushed him away. She made it high enough to get on the bed before she collapsed again, this time on her back. The pained groan that came out of her lips made his mandibles flutter in embarrassment and regret.

He realized that the front of her neck had the acid burns on it as well. Her shoulders and chest were fine, but her hips, above where her underwear was, had burns too. He could almost see the cybernetic implants working to keep her alive and almost see the skin weave that had fixed the burns. Well, most of them.

Her stomach was as toned as her legs. Muscles ripple underneath her abdomen, wrapping around her waist and coming to an indent in the middle of her belly. _Humans are so strange._

"Don't look at me like that," she said lowly, in a voice that sounded as though it were full of tears. He looked up to see that her face was stone cold, her jaw set tightly.

"I wasn't—"

She then turned her head away, using one hand to clutch the blanket she was lying on. "I can take it when others look at me with pity or disgust. But not you, Garrus. I don't know if I can stand it if you do."

He wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Instead, he stayed silent. He moved down to her legs and started undoing the soiled bandages around her thighs. She hissed, but otherwise stayed silent as he took the ointment he found on the floor and gently spread it on her soft, oh-so-very-human skin. It almost made him laugh when he realized that human blood actually _was_ red and _not_ blue.

When he was done with that, he gently tried to situate her without jostling her too much. She groaned in pain, but he finally got her lying down with her head on the pillow and her feet down at the end of the bed. He sat there for a few moments, trying to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him. "Mia," he said simply, gently touching her arm.

She jerked her arm away from him and still wouldn't look at him.

Garrus sighed and shook his head, cursing her stubbornness under his breath. "Would you at least tell me how to help your bruises?"

"How about not sparring with a human?" she said lowly, a bite in her already harsh voice.

He almost had to bite his tongue to keep from telling her where she could shove her sarcastic attitude. "Okay, how about something I can do that I haven't already _done_?"

She was silent for so long that he thought she wasn't going to tell him. Finally, though, she mumbled, "Ice. In the freezer, top box. Wrap it in a bag and put a towel under it. Get me a few bags...please."

He smirked and poked her in the nose with his talon, earning him a glare. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

She growled and told him where he could poke himself, but he turned and left before he could say anything stupid.

Considering that Garrus had never seen ice, or felt the cold that often, he was surprised at the blast of frigid air that greeted him in the fridge. He grabbed the top box, hearing it rustle with solid objects, and then a few plastic bags from under her sink. When he found a towel, he made his way back to her room.

Her eyes were closed, her mouth in a soft _'O'_ of slumber. He almost didn't want to disturb her, but he knew that she needed healing. So he sat down on the side of her bed and poured some of the strange, clear cubes into a bag. He placed the towel on a large bruise on her torso and placed the bag on top.

Mia groaned and laid her head back further, fully exposing her neck. Bumps rose up all over her body, almost tightening her skin where the puckered flesh wasn't. "God, that's cold..."

Garrus couldn't resist the urge to run his talons over the puckered flesh on her neck, ever so curious as to how she had gotten the acid burns. She became utterly still beneath him, even her breathing measured and controlled. She watched him warily, like a cornered pyjak. He couldn't help himself as he asked, "How much did it hurt?"

His talon felt her swallow, felt her throat expand as she breathed. "Like a thousand suns burning into my flesh. But, by the time I was done, I didn't have any nerve endings to feel it."

He suddenly felt respect and regret for this female. She had been through so much, and yet she somehow still found the passion to live. "When?"

"2177 CE. July 5th. My Marines and I were on a mission to find a missing pioneer team." Her eyes glazed over and she became silent for a moment. Garrus took this lapse to place more ice on her body, especially around her thighs. She didn't seem to notice. "I lost fifty good men on Akuze that day. Most of the pioneers. One of them survived to be an opera singer here on the Citadel. Another was pregnant. Her son is a little genius. The last one, he was the head researcher."

Garrus found his thumb rubbing over the scars on her hip. They stopped in a perfect line, as if the skin weave had been cut perfectly to fit just that spot and nothing else. "It was a wonder that _you _survived."

Mia's eyes looked to his, staring at him for a moment but not really seeing him. She looked this way...almost haunted...until she blinked and the glaze went away. She blinked a few more times and kept his gaze. "My stubborn will, I guess."

He found himself smirking in amusement, chuckling and shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess."

She looked at him for a moment again before turning her head and looking at the window behind her bed. The room was deathly silent as he listened to her erratic heartbeat"Why are you here?"

"My partner called in sick. Now there's no one for me to irritate at work."

Mia turned her head again and frowned, a wrinkle appearing between her eyes. Garrus almost reached out to smooth it, but refrained from doing so. She didn't say anything, just stared at him with the half-frown.

She was going to make him say it. He groaned and leaned back against the backboard of her daybed. "What, do you want an apology?"

A small huff came out of her, but, when she spoke, it was soft and he almost didn't hear it. "Well...it would be nice."

"Well then, I'm sorry!"

She stuck out her human, pink tongue at him and smirked. "There. That wasn't so hard, now was it?" She then pushed the ice off of her body and pulled the covers over her, slowly, so as not to pressure her body any further. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I need some rest."

"Didn't you sleep last night?" he asked, standing up and moving away from the bed.

Mia deadpanned with, "I was a little too busy bleeding out."

"Well, have you at least eaten?"

With a look around the room, then to him, she raised an eyebrow and motioned to the spot she'd been lying in before. "Does it look like I've moved from that spot since last night?"

"Of _course_ you haven't."


	11. Side Mission

**If you guys haven't noticed, I tend to bring people in from the series from time to time...**

**Also, yay for interspecies awkwardness things!**

* * *

**Side Mission**

_Officers Vakarian and Luna-Bailey:_

_It has come to my attention that Officer Harkin has been caught drinking on the job and roughing up innocent suspects. Find proof of his indiscretions so that C-Sec can be rid of one worthless human. _

_-Pallin_

I placed the letter down on Pallin's desk and then backed up, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at the man I _had_ been starting to respect. I stared at him for a while and he didn't avert his gaze, instead raising his eye plate like Garrus. That same damn eye plate that I hated.

Finally, after a few moments of staring off, he said, "Can I help you, Officer?"

My jaw was set so tightly that I was sure my teeth would shatter. "Yes, _Sir._ I want to know why you deemed humans _worthless_."

He scoffed and finally turned his eyes from me, organizing papers on his desk as a distraction. "Don't you have a photo shoot to go to, Luna?"

I gave out an unbelieving laugh and shook my head. When your boss was against you, you were in the dog house, and it didn't matter what you did. "You don't like humans, do you?"

"Just figuring that out, are you?" he asked sarcastically, leaning back in his chair. I hated it when turians stared at me, especially the way he was. They were a predatory species...and it showed when they looked at you as if they would eat you. "But don't take it personally. It's merely political."

I blinked and tried to think of how his not liking humans couldn't be personal. "_I'm_ human, sir. I'm going to take it personally when my boss makes his disgust of me obvious!"

"It's not Mia Luna-Bailey that I dislike," he said simply, his mandibles fluttering around his face. "It is humanity as a whole."

"I'm sorry?" I asked incredulously, holding my hands out in front of me. I wasn't quite sure what he was getting at. He was okay with me, but not with humans?

Pallin tented his fingers underneath his chin and set his elbow spurs on his desk. "Humans, as a whole, are becoming too powerful too quickly."

"And that makes you dislike us?" I cocked my head at him, at the same time that I cocked my hip and crossed my arms. A twinge of pain ran up my side, so I stopped that stance and instead stood up straight, ignore the throb of pain from my thighs and hips. The cuts from Garrus's talons had gotten extremely infected. I ordered some prescription-strength Benydril from the doctor, who told me that I was allergic to anything and everything levo-based. This included food, allergens, and bodily fluids.

"Any pet to the Council is disliked among the races."

I threw my hands in the air and wanted to strangle him. "Executor! We've fought for everything! We don't have a seat on the Council, we don't have any Spectres, we—"

Suddenly his mandibles clenched tightly inward, signaling anger. I closed my mouth and stood back at attention, realizing my mistake. "Don't even get me _started_ on Spectres."

"Apologies, sir," I said lowly, my eyes to the ground. Angry turians frightened me, I was ashamed to admit. I then remembered what Garrus had said about Saren, and the reason he was against the male. "Most turians dislike Spectres...but my point was that humans have had to work for everything we have. Just having human food here on the Citadel is a step that we've forged for years. We've had to fight."

His mandibles loosened slightly, but not completely. "Well...don't expect us to just sit back and let you take it."

I smirked and shook my head, glad that I had gotten out of a scolding from my superior officer. "I would be worried if you did, sir. Now, about this mission..."

He finally turned his uncomfortable stare off of me, leaning back in his chair and relaxing slightly. His voice even became softer. "I just want the best of the best in C-Sec. Harkin is a disgrace to the badge. Now that there are more exceptional humans in the force—" I blushed as he gave an approving glance in my direction, "—the human embassy won't be as inclined to want to erase his record."

I nodded and stood up straight, saluting, blush still on my face. "I won't let you down, sir."

Pallin raised one eyeplate, looking at me curiously. "And your partner?"

"Officer Vakarian and I are on the case."

oOo

Garrus was standing by his desk when I made my way out of the office. His mandibles fluttered in concern as he glanced at the clock on his omni-tool. "Are you alright? You were in there for a while."

I blushed with pride and beamed him my brightest smile possible. "I'm great, actually. What did you find out?"

He gave me a curious look before glancing down at his omni-tool again. He punched in some functions until information was sent to mine. "I talked with Harkin's past partners, but they won't testify. Haron said that Harkin has been passing through his security checkpoint every day about halfway through the work schedule, coming back around an hour later."

My eyes quickly scanned through the information, stopping on one juicy tidbit. "But look at the hour listings for the Enforcement branch. He doesn't clock out before he leaves."

Garrus got a look in his eye, kind of like the one he got when he was talking about criminals. There was a glint and a strange happiness, as though he would enjoy capturing Harkin. "I hope we catch this bastard. Drinking on the job..."

"And who knows what else," I added on, flicking through the reports but finding nothing else.

He smiled a turian smile, teeth and all, and stood up, looking the ever-proud turian. "Well then, let's get going...partner."

Pride filled me, almost making me giddy, as I grabbed my purse and gun, holstering one and throwing the other over my shoulder. "I'm right behind you, Garrus."

oOo

"This isn't going to work."

Garrus eyed his partner out of the side of his eye. "Will you just trust me for once?"

She shrugged and pulled collar of her dress further up her neck. "I do trust you, Garrus. I just don't think that this disguise is going to work. We're rather well-known around the Citadel."

He shook his head and turned his eyes away from her curving frame. He had changed his clan markings from blue to white, just temporarily, to disguise who he really was. It would work for turians. As for Mia... The dress she was wearing only accentuated those curves he watched sway. _At least the bruising is gone._ "You look different out of uniform." Especially so when she let her fringe down around her waist.

Mia's face turned red again and she beamed with her very blunt teeth. "I thought turians thought that all humans looked the same?"

"You do," he said bluntly, making her scowl and lose the blush. "But you smell different." She smelled like him still, which was embarrassing.

Human faces showed so many kinds of emotion, Garrus was surprised that he realized that she was indeed curious. She pushed her way through the throng outside Chora's Den and asked, "Well...what do I smell like to turians?"

The loud, pulsing lights and music penetrated the room. Garrus grasped her shoulder to steer her, not having to smell her to know her scent. "You smell like gun polish. And something that must be human."

"_Gun polish?"_ she asked under her breath, sniffing herself. She just looked confused.

Garrus laughed and steered her over to a table for two. He was ready for any confrontation or bar brawl necessary, as long as they got that slimy Harkin. "Yes, gun polish. Don't worry, turians like that sort of thing."

She sniffed her arm again, apparently not smelling it. "I don't know what you're talking about. I smell like cocoa butter because that's the soap I wash with. Target at two o'clock."

Garrus didn't turn his head, instead, leaning back in his chair and still looking at her. "You'll have to show me that human thing. It's not too bad. Don't worry, you smell attractive to turians. What's he doing?"

"Slobbering over an asari dancer," Mia scowled, her face contorted into disgust. "Slimy _culo_..." Mia pulled up her omni-tool and checked some kind of record. Garrus watched her face glow in the dim lighting. "Looks like he's still clocked in. Oh, and since when do turians find humans attractive?"

In the lighting, Mia looked even darker than normal. Her cheeks weren't covered in plates, her shoulders were too narrow, and her waist wasn't supportive enough. He didn't find his partner physically attractive. When it came to her personality, though, he figured she was...okay. "Some have fetishes. Is he drinking?"

She snorted in amusement and mimicked his posture, trying to look more relaxed. "No, not from what I can tell. Like I said, he's drooling. And since when do turians revolt against their militaristic, perfectly principled lives to chase some human tail?"

Garrus felt his mandibles fluttering, not sure if he was amused or flustered from her comment. "It's obviously not very common."

"The First Contact War is still too much in everyone's mind," she agreed with a slight nod of her head. "In fact, we're getting a little too much attention because of that."

Garrus looked around the room, noticing a few Turians who had their eyes on the couple. He glared at one while saying, "You're right." He glanced up at the bartender, noticing a turian male, and got ready to move. "I'll go up to the bar and—"

"No, _I'll_ go up to the bar," she said quickly, standing and flipping her fringe over one shoulder. She gave him a look that had his mandibles tight against his face in confusion. "You said I smell attractive to turians? Let's put it to the test."

He almost snarled at her. "Mia, we're on a _mission_."

The female rolled her eyes and started walking away. "I'm just obtaining some intel, Garrus...no worries."

_This female is going to be the death of me. _ He watched in trepidation as she walked with a sway in her step toward the bar. Many eyes followed her appreciatively and he resisted the urge to growl. Finally, she made it to the bar, smiling at the male turian and leaning over the counter. He assumed that this was a tactic to show him her breasts. He hated to tell her, but turians didn't find the soft flesh of humans appealing—

Garrus watched in shock as the bartender's mandibles flared in interest. He looked confused for a moment as he smelled the air, sniffing at Garrus's scent, before returning his full attention to the female in front of him. He started ignoring his other customers and even gave Mia a drink on the house. She continued talking to him, even caressing the male's hand when he moved it towards hers. Finally, she grabbed her drink, blew the turian a kiss, and made her way back to him.

He was still shocked into silence as she sat down, took a drink, and then said, "Harkin has had two whiskeys, a beer, and some kind of krogan beverage. The bartender then told me that it looked as though Hallex was exchanged." Mia took another drink, still not meeting his eye. "Also, some turians have a perverse interest in breasts."

It took a moment for the information to register in his mind. He couldn't fathom... "_What?_"

"I got our information," she said simply, shrugging, although he saw a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. "Is there a problem, Gare?"

He cleared his throat and coughed a little, trying to speak finally. "You found all that out in the ten minutes you were over there."

She smiled cockily and took another sip of whatever it was she was drinking. "I have my ways."

Garrus took a deep breath, counted to three, and made sure that he wouldn't yell at his partner when he spoke. He wasn't sure why he was so irritated, coming to the conclusion that that was just what Mia did to him. "We still need proof, not just a testimony from a bartender that works in a sleazy bar."

Mia shot him a fake horrified look, putting a hand to her chest. "Why, Garrus! Barv isn't so bad!"

"_Barv?_ What kind of name is _Barv?_" He felt his hackles rise slightly...literally...

She shot him a look and sneered, "What kind of name is _Garrus_?"

The turian officer threw his hands up in the air, sure of the fact that he would never _win_ with this woman! "It's a very old, very proud turian name, _Mia_!"

Her smile told him that he'd taken her bait and he groaned, making her laugh. She shook her head and said, "You need to loosen up, Garrus. Get that stick out of your ass."

"Stick up my—?!"

She gave him a look that he guessed told him to shut up. "Back onto topic, big guy. Harkin is watching."

His sigh was soft enough that she didn't register it. Did she understand that merely being around her put extra years on his life? He was going to die before fifty years at this rate. "I know. I've been watching him since you made a scene with the bartender. He's got his eye on you."

Mia smirked and took another sip of her bubbly drink She then set down her cup, grabbed his wrist, and started pulling him to the dance floor. "Let's give him something to watch, then."

She pulled him through a group of sensual dancers, mostly asari strippers, and let him go before she started dancing. This was the dancing weeks ago that had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Something about the way her body moved was even worse than asari's.

Her glare snapped him out of his staring. "Grab my hips and _dance_, Vakarian," she growled under her breath, grasping his talons and placing them where she told him to. He could feel the warmth of her body through her back. Then she reached up and put her arms around his neck, between his cowl and the plating in front of it. And that was when she started gyrating her hips against his.

Garrus then understood why females of the human species had the extra padding on their rears. It created a very interesting feeling against his lower plates as his partner pushed and moved against him with her usual ease. There was a slight crease in the cushion that he would have fit in quite nicely if she eventually coerced him from his protective plating.

She thrust back against him, stretching upwards before moving her fingers against the back of his fringe. Her fingers danced dangerously around, making him growl. His talons tightened painfully on her hips, making her hiss at him and buck her hips back harshly. "Careful! Humans are fragile, if you don't remember!"

He leaned down and nipped at her ear, moving his hands forward and grasping the front of her thighs underneath her dress. He could smell her arousal as soon as he did it, making his mandibles flutter to catch the scent. "Well then stop moving like a damned asari. I may not be human, but I am _male_."

He could feel the heat coming off of her ten times its usual amount as she flushed from head to toe. "Oh, God...I-I, I didn't mean—"

Garrus nuzzled the side of her face, his scent automatically marking her again as it had before. He couldn't help the primal gesture. She seemed to find it strangely embarrassing, blushing and letting out a strangled, '_Oh_.' "_Yeah._" She was just lucky that his plates hadn't completely shifted. "Keep up the act or he'll suspect."

Mia suddenly stiffened and turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around him again. This time she pushed her front against his carapace, her lips on the side of his mandible. His hands alighted on her narrow hips, his talons almost reaching around to the crease in her back cushion. Their hips moved against each other as the music pulsed and the lights flashed, making their bodies shadows in the room.

"Sorry," she whispered against his mandible, her lips feather light against his face. Garrus could barely hear her, instead focusing on the blood rushing through his body and his fast-paced heart. The cushions on her chest now made sense as well. They felt rather nice against him. The more she pushed up against him, the more his plates shifted and he growled in her ear. Without the hip spurs of turian females, the heat of her womanhood pushed directly against him. "I didn't realize..."

Her fingers trailed up his fringe once more at the same time as she attached her lips to the tip of his mandible. He tightened his hold, pulled her harshly against him, and leaned down to bite her neck through her dress a lot harder than he'd nipped her ear. Against her skin he growled, "_Damn it_, Mia!"

She gave out a little scream of pain, which went unnoticed in the loud club. "What am I _doing_?" she asked through a whimper. "Goddamn! Let go!"

He did as she told him, a deep growl continuously rumbling through his chest. "Stop touching my fringe, _first of all._" Her hands instantly flew away from his neck, making him calm down slightly. His plates had fully opened, but he'd been able to keep inside, especially now that she wasn't touching him.

"I thought it was—"

"A turian erogenous zone."

Her body heated up again. It would have been comical to see her red all over..._all over as he pushed her up against the wall of the club, his tongue flickering out to lick her ear, his knee between her legs._ Garrus shook his head to rid the image from his mind, grasping Mia's wrists and taking a step away from her.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a soft voice that only his hearing could decipher.

He took a few deep breaths and managed a sharp nod, his mandibles tight against his face. He didn't know what was wrong with him—he wasn't attracted to humans, let alone his partner. He didn't have some human fetish. "Like I said...I may not be human, but I am a male." He chalked it up to the fact that a soft, flexible female had been rubbing sensually up against him. Even a Krogan wouldn't have been able to resist.

The blush on her face was slightly attractive. She looked a little embarrassed and wouldn't meet his eyes. "And this is why you should tell me these things before we go undercover."

Garrus felt a sarcastic retort coming along, but stopped it before he could hurt her feelings. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know. Most humans didn't. "I didn't think we'd be in this situation. Fighting mercs? Sure. Bar fight with Harkin? Possibly. My partner trying to seduce me? Not really."

Her face was beet red, almost comically so. "I was not—!"

The look he gave her silenced her. He would have found it comical if he wasn't aching in all the wrong places. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm himself and surveyed his portion of the club. He didn't see Harkin. "What do you see?"

"Harkin is leaving. He's been watching us this entire time. Well...me."

"Still?" She nodded. Garrus pulled her back to him slowly, one hand on her lower back. She laid her head on his chest, her hands on his shoulders, and they swayed. They weren't in time with the song but Garrus didn't care. "Which exit?"

"Back alley."

_Good._ He leaned his head down to her fringe, smelling that strange human scent that came off of her. Also, her fringe was strangely soft and silky. "Go around to the side alley exit and intercept him. I'll leave the normal way and back you up."

She took a deep breath as if she knew the danger of splitting up. She looked up at the same time he did. She made the extra move to place her forehead on his, making his breath get caught in his throat. "You'll have my six?" Her eyes, so dark and colorless, were looking at him as if he were water and she were dying of thirst.

Garrus forgot to breathe for a moment, wondering if she knew what she'd just done. He assumed that, no, she didn't. He tried to swallow to help his dry throat but it didn't help. Instead, he pushed his forehead back against hers and said, "Always."

The smile he always assumed was a growl at first, but he knew was a smile, disarmed him. "I knew I could count on you. Let's go!"

oOo

Although I should have felt mortified over what had just happened between my partner and I, I actually felt determined and confident. The fact that we'd learned about each other—or that I'd learned anything about him, even sexually—made me feel more trusting of my partner, and therefore closer to him.

I took a deep breath and took the Cricket pistol out of my breast holster. It was so small that it fit perfectly in my cleavage...I'd just waited until Garrus (and anyone else for that matter) was gone so that I could retrieve it.

_This is it, Mia_, I told myself as I sneaked through the side exit. An asari stripper was making out with a batarian, which kind of freaked me out. _You can do this. This isn't your first rodeo. You can make a good name for the Force and get rid of a bad egg from the clutch all at the same time._

I made my way around the ready-to-fornicate couple and wished them luck in the asari/batarian hybrid babies they were about to make. Not really. Actually, I could only hope that the babies would be asari because batarians freaked me out with their eyes.

_Back on the subject at hand, Mia! _I shook my head and nonchalantly made my way around. The alley was dark and quiet, the base of the club vibrating behind me. Lights flickered overhead and vermin scurried through the trash on the sides of what most people wouldn't call a walkway.

Suddenly I was grabbed from behind. I went for the defensive maneuvers we were taught in C-Sec training, but they were countered rather easily. I went for military defense and found that slightly effective, wrapping my leg around his and jutting my knee into the back of his, making my assaulter lose his balance.

We fell to the ground and struggled. My being in a dress didn't help matters as he pinned the fabric to the ground. Now I was on my stomach, his knees on my shoulders and his butt on my hips, keeping me pinned rather effectively.

It was hard to breathe. I felt his hands start massaging the back of my neck, running through my hair and he hummed. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the face of C-Sec. Where's your lover, the turian?" It sounded like Harkin, but I couldn't be sure.

I balled my fists and released them, trying to keep the blood flowing in my arms. "He isn't my lover, you slime." _Where are you, Garrus? _"Get off of me and fight me like a man!"

He leaned down and whispered into my ear, his breath smelling of alcohol and smoke. "And what'll that get me?" His body started sliding lower, helping me get loose but putting me in a position that made me freeze in terror. His lips touched against the side of my neck, his hands moving down the sides of my dress.

I used my better position and flipped us, making sure to jam my heel into his crotch when I stood back up. He was there as I held the cricked to his head, ready to shoot. "Touch me again and you won't be able to have children."

He was a slime. Balding, with a beer belly and rotting teeth from the drugs I knew he did. His beady dark eyes were all over me. "Is that a promise?"

I wanted to shoot him. Even if he wasn't armed. But that was wrong and I'd probably be stripped of my badge faster than the satisfaction would come from seeing the pain on his rat face. "What are you doing here, Harkin?"

"So the priss knows who I am?" he scoffed, stumbling slightly as he came closer. My gun shook a little as I took a step back into some trash. I realized then that I was trapped in an alcove as he stumbled toward me. "I'm here to have a little fun, sweetheart. Now why don't you put that gun down and I can show you how humans hop in the sack. Better than a turian, I bet."

Suddenly Harkin was pulled back by a scaly arm and pushed against the opposite wall. Garrus was there, his strong body standing between the pervert and I. "I highly doubt it." He turned a raised eyeplate to me and asked, "Is this man bothering you, honey?"

"Just a little, darling," I replied sarcastically, putting my weapon down and stepping out of the trash alcove I'd been stuck in. "Wherever have you been?"

My partner gave off what I guessed was a laugh and pulled Harkin's hands behind his back, cuffing his wrists. "Wouldn't you believe it, there were these detour signs, and—"

"You got lost."

"Yeah."

I sighed but couldn't be mad at him. We'd just solved our first case together—and there really hadn't been any arguing. Other than the fact that I'd been manhandled, it had turned out to be a good day. "What do you say we get this guy to a testing facility and see what he's been on?"

Garrus pushed Harkin up against the wall for good measure. He must have enjoyed the man's pained groan as much as I did. "I'd like nothing better."

oOo

_In recent news, Officer Harkin of Citadel Securities has been stripped of badge and gun and is on trial for the distribution and usage of Hallex. Intoxication and sexual harassment are also on the list of infractions at his hearing scheduled today at five._

"A toast!" I said, holding the drink in my hand, (non-alcoholic,) in the air and standing. The officers at my table looked up in interest, not all eyes human. "May we keep good, righteous officers in our midst...and get the bad guy!"

Laughs rang out in the dining room. "Hear hear!"

I smiled at the group around my table. Filled with some of my office-mates, I finally felt a part of something. And, well, since they were in my apartment, eating my food, I figured that they thought I was a part of them. I hoped.

As I was sitting down, Garrus nudged me in the side, making me slosh my champagne onto the table. I glared at him as he said, "Wonderful speech. I was left astounded."

"Shut up, Vakarian. You wish you had my charisma." I took a sip of my bubbly and smiled at the group of turians and humans that were getting along really, really well. The turians seemed to like the food I'd ordered them and, since I couldn't cook worth a damn, the humans seemed to like their takeout. I also made sure to stay as far away from it as I could-going into anaphylactic shock was _not _on my to-do list.

My partner shook his head in amusement. "Whatever you say, Probee."

"I worked really hard on that speech." I almost couldn't say that without a laugh, which then hurt my bruised ribs. I groaned and frowned a little.

This time, Garrus let out a chuckle. "I'm sure you did..."


	12. Happy Holidays

**So, it isn't December, but this WAS written around Christmas time! I hope you guys enjoy!**

**All information on turian "religion" is found on the Mass Effect wikia!**

* * *

**Happy Holidays**

"_El primer día de Navidad, mi amor me mandó, una perdiz picando peras del peral..._"

Garrus's translator didn't quite pick up what his partner was belting as she came into the office that December afternoon, almost time to clock out of work. She was wearing earrings in the shapes of small spheres with silver on them. On her head was a red felt hat with a ring of white fur along the bottom and a large white fluffy ball on the top. "_Feliz Navidad, _Garrus!"

One of the males in the office looked at her strangely. "There's still two weeks until Christmas, Luna."

"Oh, come _on_, Sanchez, get in the holiday spirit!" Mía started rearranging her desk, putting a miniature green tree in the corner and sprinkling it with shiny things. "_Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree..._" She had an interesting singing voice, for a human. And by interesting, he meant bad.

But Garrus had never seen her so..._carefree_ before. "What's gotten into you?" And what the heck was Christmas?

She suddenly froze while putting a star on the top of her tree. "You know what Christmas is, right_?"_ she asked incredulously, turning to him with wide eyes. When he shook his head, she started speaking rapidly in the language that his translator wouldn't translate fast enough. _Spanish_, he thought. Though suddenly she stopped and snapped her fingers. "When we clock out, you are coming with me."

He suddenly felt very hesitant as he looked at the determination in her eyes. "Going...where, exactly?"

"We're going to walk...and not walk in on any robberies, alright?" The room got a good chuckle at that. Now that everyone was partially over the whole 'turian/human couple of C-Sec,' work had sort of gone back to normal. Now it was just kind of a joke. Everyone seemed to be getting along, especially now that they'd gotten rid of Harkin and Mia set up team meetings throughout the week for everyone to eat, drink, and relax at.

Garrus smirked and shook his head, determined to get through one evening without arguing with his partner. She seemed in a pretty damn good mood. "Sure, Probee. Whatever you say."

oOo

Alright, so...how to tell someone about Christmas who didn't believe in—or possibly know about—God and Christ. He'd never grown up knowing about Saint Nicolas, never decorated a giant fir (or, in my case on a space station, a large tree of whatever kind we found on whatever planet,) ate Christmas dinner, or opened Christmas presents!

"Well," I said, flicking the white fur ball on my Santa hat, "let's start at the beginning." I looked over to see if Garrus objected, and, when he didn't, I turned and started walking along the shore of the Presidium's lake. "We have a religion...well, actually, there are a lot of human religions. This is mine. I'm not sure about yours, but I call the being that most humans believe created everything 'God.' There's whole books on all of the information that I won't be able to tell you about, but, he gave the miracle of a child to the Virgin Mary."

"How could she—"

I gave him a look, kicking a rock along the side of the lake. It was beautiful out, but...not quite Christmas weather, unfortunately. "We believe that this guy created all life on Earth, alright? He can make a woman pregnant if He so chooses. So anyway, this baby, Jesus, was born on December 25, and he was a...well, he was a saint. He helped the poor, fed the hungry, was a wonderful man. He was persecuted for his beliefs and savagely killed on a cross." I then pulled out the cross necklace that I wore under my uniform at all times and showed him. "The people who follow him celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a time to remember that he died for our sins, to give to others, to show the best side of our humanity."

Garrus looked rather confused, probably because I couldn't properly explain the entire history of Christmas in a short walk. "So...a woman who was a virgin had a child and the child became one of your religious symbols because he was killed by being nailed to two wooden posts?"

Strange way to look at it, but then again, I wasn't exactly an expert on the subject. I went to church once a month and tried to make it on Christmas, but it never usually happened. But I loved helping people and Christmas made it so easy. Most people wouldn't take help from me any other time. But Christmas, the time for giving, was a good excuse to make them see that I was there for them all the time, not just on the holiday.

"Well, he was the son of God. He died for our sins here so that when we reach heaven, we will be able to sit by His side unburdened." I hugged my jacket closer to me and looked up at his reptilian face, trying to understand the emotion behind his eyes. "What do the turians believe?" The look he gave me instantly made me blush and stutter, "I-I mean, i-if i-it's okay t-to talk about. C-comfortable, and everything."

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. "It's fine, Mía. I'm just trying to understand why you're so interested in Christmas."

I smiled and did a little twirl, wishing for snow to fall. "It's a time for families to get together, spreading love and cheer and celebrating life itself. Too much to ask?"

Garrus smirked and shook his head, looking out over the lake. "No. Actually, it sounds...nice. The turians don't really...think like that."

"What do you believe in, Garrus?" I tried not to sound judging or belittling. It was hard to believe anything when you saw space, saw the vastness and the beauty. How could one being do all of it? How could one being make something so...universal?

He appeared to think over it for a moment. I respected him for taking the time to find the correct answer. "I believe in the spirit of a group or an area that transcends the individual." I wasn't quite following, so I nodded in encouragement for him to continue. "For example, a military unit would be considered to have a literal spirit that embodies the honor and courage it has displayed. A city's spirit reflects the accomplishments and industry of its residents. An ancient tree's spirit reflects the beauty and tranquility of the area it grows within." He waited for my confirmation, but I wasn't sure what to say. "It must sound strange to you."

It did. But everyone was entitled to what they believed. I wasn't some bible-pushing zealot that didn't have an open mind. "It does...but it's beautiful. I'm sure mine is just as strange. Everyone has the right to believe what they want, and I believe that whatever you believe is just as correct as my views. Maybe it's all the same. Who knows?"

He stopped in his tracks for a moment, staring out over the lake. We were standing under the shade of many trees from earth, not that I knew what they were. I'd never spent too much time in nature. He chuckled and I asked him what he thought was so funny. "I was trying to picture what your spirit would look like."

_Huh._ He'd actually taken time to think of that? "Well, what kind of spirit do I have?"

Garrus shook his head and started walking again, this time with his regular stride that I had to jog to keep up with. "I probably couldn't tell you."

"Well, make sure you tell me when you figure it out," I said as I caught up with him, grasping his arm to stop him. "Slow down a sec, I'm out of shape over here. I swear, I've not been to the gym in a week." No thanks to him, actually. I had to take a few deep breaths before I stood up straight and looked him straight in the eye. "Alright, Garrus Vakarian, I have a serious question to ask you." His damned eyeplate rose and I resisted the urge to glare at it. "What...would you like for Christmas? I already have an idea, but I wanted to make sure I was on the right track."

The shock on his face was priceless. I was hoping that he wouldn't reject my offer of a gift because I would give the damn turian one anyway. He was my partner and he was going to get a present! "Uh...I don't know, what _do_ I want?"

"On Christmas, everyone gives their friends presents," I explained, suddenly feeling foolish. What if he didn't think of me as a friend? "Or coworkers, or family..." I added that last bit on at the end just in case.

"Oh. Well, ah...I'm not sure. What do _you_ want?"

"Well, I want some snow." God, now he was acting all awkward and unsure around me. "But, you don't have to follow my traditions. This is all on me."

"Well...I've been looking for someone," he said finally, clearing his throat and looking awkwardly adorable. His mandibles fluttered and his eyes were vulnerable. The way he held his body was kind of cute.

_Wait, adorable? Cute? No, not adorable. Not cute. Ferocious, maybe. Definitely not adorable. _"Who?"

He sighed and stretched out his neck as if he didn't want to tell me. I almost thought he would back out, but I wouldn't let him. I wanted to do something nice for him. And, if it was finding some long lost girlfriend (poor Tuntau!) then I was all for it. The guy needed to loosen up! "Do you remember when I told you about the black market bust, about the organs?"

I groaned and threw my head back. _Anything but this!_ Every time I thought about it, I felt sick to my stomach. I was queasy at my _own_ blood. "Yes. I knew that that wasn't all to the organ story...unfortunately."

The turian nodded and I noticed that his jaw tightened. "I was sent after a Salarian scientist. The organ numbers were way off the chart. I wasn't sure if there was a new black market lab or if some freak was harvesting organs from citizens."

I really was feeling sick to my stomach. Just the thought of some crazed Salarian scientist trying to harvest my body... "I just don't understand how someone could live like that. How do you run these psychos in?"

"Sometimes...these cases aren't clear cut enough to just 'run them in.' First we got a hold of a sample and ran DNA tests. There was something more going on than we first realized. The match led us to a turian who was still alive and was very convinced that he never lost his liver. After a bit of digging, I discovered this turian worked briefly for Dr. Saleon, a Salarian geneticist. So I went to his lab, hoping to find evidence of cloned organ development. But there was nothing. No Salarian hearts, no turian livers, not one Krogan testicle."

"Krogan testicles?" I almost laughed except that I knew that this was serious. I couldn't laugh, it would be rude and I was already feeling sick to my stomach. If I laughed, I also barfed all over Garrus's new C-Sec issue boots.

I actually got the guy to smirk this time, coming out a little from his depressing story. "Some Krogan believe that testicle transplants can solve fertility issues. Counteract the effects of the genophage. It doesn't work, but that doesn't stop them from buying. They'll pay up to 10,000 creds for one...and they have four."

I snorted, forgetting that little fact. "You should have seen my face when I met my first Krogan and he told my mother to 'get a quad.' She then had to tell me about the birds and the bees for humans _and_ Krogan Not a fun night." He looked a little confused but I waved him on. "Ignore me, this is your story."

The poor guy didn't look like he wanted to continue. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and didn't meet my eye. "I brought in some of his employees, seeing if I could get them to talk. When I interviewed one of them, I came across something suspicious. One of my detainees started bleeding during the interview. We offered to patch him up and he got freaked out. I ordered a full exam to find out what was going on. Dozens of incisions covered his body, some of them fresh. That was our big break. These people weren't just his employees. They were test tubes. Walking, living test tubes."

Oh, God. I grasped Garrus's arm for support, trying not to vomit all over him. "Oh my God... He was growing _parts inside them._"

"Mía, are you okay? You don't look so hot."

God, I loved his voice. But he really needed to shut up sometimes. "No shit, Sherlock." His confused look told me he didn't get the reference, but I wasn't going to explain it to him. "This is just so..._wrong!_"

"It gets worse. I can stop, if you'd like."

"No, I want to know." I felt myself whimpering, so he found a bench and sat us down. The queasiness went away a little. The cool air was helping, too.

"He...he cloned their organs inside their body and then harvested and sold them. Most of the victims were poor. They got percentages of the sales, but not much. But sometimes an organ wouldn't grow properly, so he would leave it inside of them. Most of them were a mess, but only on the inside where no one could see."

I gritted my teeth against the images that threatened to entire my mind. "So you caught him, then." But I knew the answer before he even said it. He'd said he was looking for someone...and now I knew who.

"No. That's the worst part. He got away. Ran with a few of his test subjects and headed for the nearest space dock. By the time I found out, his ship was already leaving. He threatened to kill his hostages if we tried to stop him. I ordered Citadel Defense to shoot him down, but headquarters countermanded my order. They were worried about hostages...worried about civilian casualties if the ship was destroyed so close to the Citadel. I told them they were dead anyway, that he would use them to make more hostages. They wouldn't listen. We sent ships after him but he got away just the same."

The timing of this sounded strange. How long had the investigation lasted? When was the Doctor last seen? "Garrus, when did this happen?"

He ignored me and kept talking, almost as if he'd rehearsed it before. "I went to Pallin and told him what I thought of him and his policies. He said that if I didn't like it, I could quit. I almost did. All they had to do was disable that ship. Stop him from running. Maybe the hostages die, maybe they don't. But at least we stop the bastard responsible for it all."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "If you don't care about the hostages, Garrus, you're just as bad as he is. We are here to protect the weak, the sick, and the poor. We help those who can't help themselves. We _don't _do that by killing innocent hostages!"

"Maybe you're right. But...that doesn't mean that he's not still out there, still hurting people! We could have stopped him!"

I laid a hand on his arm, suddenly feeling sorry for my partner. He'd wanted that bastard to pay for what he'd done to those poor people. But the bad guy had won. "I'm sorry. But Garrus, there's a fine line between justice and vengeance."

His arm was shaking slightly, probably from anger. I probably should have moved, but I didn't care. I was with my partner and I would stand by his side, no matter what his mood or predatory glare. "I know, I know. But ever since then, everything went downhill. I lost my Investigation badge, Chellik took my place. My Enforcement partner was almost killed in a gang battle, and then..."

I understood where he was going. "And then you were partnered with me." The timeline hadn't been strewn—it'd just happened right before I'd gotten to the Citadel. "I understand, Garrus. At least now I know why you were such a sourpuss when I first walked in the station."

I was glad that I got somewhat of a smile from him. "I never hated you, Mia. My life was a mess and I needed to fix it."

Now I knew what I was going to get him for Christmas. I would work late nights and early mornings and through lunch if I could find this Salarian for him. "Thank you for trusting me with this." I found myself leaning up and giving him a brush of my lips against his mandible Maybe I felt a little sentimental, or maybe I was finally starting to like the guy. But all I knew was that he finally trusted me and I felt happy. "I've got to go."

I didn't wait for his reaction. I just turned and walked away, trying my damnedest not to look over my shoulder. _On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..._


	13. The Christmas Charity Ball

**This episode isn't my favorite, but it is crucial to the strategy that I employ...and there's some more turian/human confusion!**

* * *

**The Christmas Charity Ball**

"Hello, _mi Bonita!_" James cried as he walked through the doors to my office. He was in civilian clothes for once, a tight, thin t-shirt and some jeans that made him look _damn_ good.

I smiled at him and stood up, making my way to him. "James, how is—" I was interrupted as he twirled me and dipped me, placing his rough lips against mine. Even though I was surprised, I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him my all back in the kiss. He smirked against my lips, pulled me to a standing position, and nibbled on my bottom lip before pulling away.

One of his arms was above my head, holding mistletoe. "Sorry, _Bonita. _But it's _such _a good day, I had to come and say hello."

I blushed and finally looked around the room, realizing that everyone was staring at us. I coughed and lightly pushed James on his strong chest, backing away from him. "What's gotten you all happy, _chico?_"

He smiled and put one large arm over my shoulders, pulling me close again. I could feel Garrus's eyes on my back, burning holes into my skin. "The drug dealers have been put away, all thanks to you." He placed a kiss on my cheek and hugged me tighter. "This calls for a celebration!"

Well, it hadn't been _all_ thanks to me. Garrus and I had just happened to come across shipment records in all of the data we had to sort through. So really, it was both of us. But, anyway, I looked up at him and said, "That's wonderful, James. Justice is served."

He laughed and twirled me around, making me blush again. I could hear some of the turian males grumbling and I knew that I had to get back to work. "Come to lunch with me!"

I cleared my throat and extracted myself from James's warm arms. "I...uh...already have plans, James." At that moment, I could feel Garrus standing up behind me. He looked down on my boyfriend with contempt. "Sorry. It's work."

James just shook his head and gave me that sexy smirk. "As long as you keep the work at home when we go to the Christmas Charity Ball."

My tongue had to be bitten in order to keep from telling him that I had to get promo shoots taken with Garrus that day. It was the reason I'd been able to get free tickets in the first place. "Yeah. Promise."

He kissed me one more time in front of the room of turians. "See ya later, babe."

I rolled my lips around, trying to look casual, but none of the males in the room had taken their eyes off of me. "What?" I asked them, giving them a little glare. They went back to their work instantly.

Garrus put a heavy hand on my shoulder. I knew that he had an arrogant smirk on his face, so I didn't turn to look at him. "Let's go to lunch_, babe._"

I elbowed him in the stomach. "Shut up, Vakarian."

oOo

We sat in our usual spot next to the airway traffic at the Zakera Cafe. I ordered a hamburger and Garrus ordered some bad-sounding food like usual. He seemed to like it, though. My only thought was about how they got cows to the Citadel.

_On second thought,_ I mused, looking down at the misshapen hamburger on my plate, _maybe I should stop over-thinking this and just eat the damn burger._

"So," Garrus said as he chewed through the bones of some poor animal from Palaven. "What was that?"

I was nibbling on a french fry when he asked this. I looked up and replied, "What was what?"

"That thing that the Marine did to you." He was looking at me with his 'I want to know more' face, the one with questioning eyes, a slight tilt to his head, and his mandibles fluttering out slightly.

I wasn't quite sure what he was asking. I set my food down and focused my attention on my partner. "His name is James, not 'that Marine.'"

"I know. I did a background check on him."

He was so lucky that I wasn't eating or drinking anything, elsewise it would have been all over him. "You did _what_?!"

Garrus went right on chomping on his food. "He could have been some kind of _spy_."

"_He's an N3_," I growled out, my hand balling into a fist next to my lunch. "You can't have a record in the N-Program!" When did my partner find it necessary to become my parent? "Thanks a lot, _Dad_."

His mandibles fluttered in surprise. "Surely you looked him up."

I opened my mouth to refute it, but realized that I'd uploaded his information as I stared at his pecs the first day. My lips closed and pursed and I relaxed back into my chair, knowing that he was right. "...Maybe."

"Well, he's clean. But know that I'm not your _dad _just because I want to watch your six. You're my partner and I'd like it to stay that way."

I was stunned into silence for a moment, not quite believing that he was saying this. He rarely gave out compliments unless they were damn well earned. And apparently I'd earned enough respect to be kept as a partner. "Um...thanks, Gare. I kinda like my job, anyhow."

He'd stopped eating for a moment, staring at me strangely. Then he reached out one glove-covered talon and touched my lip. I hadn't realized that ketchup was sitting on there, but he wiped it away. "Your mouth is soft."

"Gee, thanks," I said simply as I grabbed a napkin and wiped the rest of my lips off.

"That must be why he was...was he eating your lips?"

Once again, I was glad for not eating something. I laughed and covered the occurring cough with the napkin. It took a moment, but when the laughs finally subsided, I smiled at him and shook my head. "_Dios_, no, Garrus! It was a kiss!"

He cocked his head to the side even more, seeming slightly frustrated. Had the male really never been around humans before? "What's a...kiss?"

I couldn't help the short but loud laugh that came from me again. "It's a sign of affection between two people in a relationship. Surely turians...?"

Garrus bared his teeth at me, making me flinch, and his mandibles fluttered in humor. "We turians don't like sharp, pointy objects around our sensitive areas. And frankly, having my tongue bit off doesn't sound like a way to show affection."

"True that." I lifted my drink to him, even though it was only water, and then drank. When I sat my glass back down, I intertwined my fingers and gave him a serious look. "Any other questions about humans or their culture that I need to answer?"

"What are these?"

His talons suddenly plucked at one of my ears, stinging me. "Ow!" I tried to swat him away, but he had a firm grip and my ear was almost burning. "That's my ear!"

"Ear?" He rubbed my earlobe between two of his three fingers, leaning in to look closer. Totally strange and _completely unwelcome._

"To hear things with!" I slapped his hand away and rubbed my now-sore ear. "Ow...don't just go tugging on an appendage, alright? They're sensitive!"

He chuckled and sat back in his chair, ignoring the strange looks we were getting. He then grabbed my braid and gave it an experimental tug. "And this thing?"

"Ow! My _hair!_" I tugged it away from him and wrapped it in a bun, putting it in place with a few bobby pins. "Don't tug on humans, it's rude!"

"So it doesn't hurt?" he asked, confusion on his alien face. I looked at his fringe, remembering how sensitive it had been when I'd dug my nails into it.

"Not like yours," I said simply. "Ours is just attached. It's like pulling on our arm. We feel it, but that doesn't mean it hurts. Now if you _really_ pull it, you could pull it out...and _that_ hurts."

He looked completely confused, so I sighed, grasped a loose strand, and pulled, ignoring the sting it gave me. I then handed him my long, curly strand of black hair. He looked at it as though it were growing appendages and walking off. "...Hair."

"Yeah, hair. Not fringe."

Garrus cocked his head and studied the hair experimentally. He took it between his talons and then shredded it...like butter. "You humans have no plating whatsoever. Even your hair is weak."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. We're squishy. What's with the Twenty Questions, anyway?"

He pointed to me and said, "You're the one who offered. I've never spent much time around humans."

Finally I picked up my could-be-hamburger, could-be-something-else-burger and took a bite. "Well," I slurred with a mouth full of deliciousness, "if it makes you feel better, I know next to nothing about turians...well, except for weak points in hand-to-hand combat. But that's specialized training I received. Not standard issue. Well, not anymore." It used to be that the soldiers in the First Contact War were all taught to fight turians. Now we just knew basics.

"I would be willing to answer...most...questions," he said simply, making me smirk. He was opening a whole can of worms that I could fish with. But, I wasn't going to take it. And maybe he knew that by the way he relaxed against the back of his chair.

I shook my head and kept eating, not realizing how hungry I was. "Nah, I'm good. If I have any questions, I'll be sure to ask you first. Deal?"

Suddenly Garrus leaned forward, a dark sparkle in his eye. His mandibles fluttered as if he were amused, but it was a grim amusement. "Even the rather personal ones?"

One of my eyebrows was raised as I looked at his proximity, slowly scooting back. It took me a second to swallow. "Uh...yeah. Even the kinda personal ones."

"So a kiss isn't that personal?" he asked, finally leaning back.

"Well...they can be. That one was a little risque for public, but he _was_ holding mistletoe." At Garrus's 'want to know more' look, I sighed and said, "It's a plant used at Christmas. If two people walk under it, they have to kiss."

"Anyone?"

"Anyone."

He leaned forward once more, annoying me slightly. "So, if the two of us—"

I cut him off before he could say any more. "Don't even _think_ about it, Vakarian. The press would have a hay-day with it." I didn't let him ask what a 'hay-day' was, instead continuing with, "Besides, I don't like sharp pointy things around my sensitive areas."

oOo

I had the perfect dress, the perfect date, the perfect makeup, and the perfect hair. But as I stared at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but see something wrong. I couldn't show my chest, or my neck. I couldn't have a v-neck like any of the other women were bound to have. And while my asari-like dress _was_ perfect for _me_, it would look conservative and strange to the other human women.

But what did I care? I got free tickets to the most-anticipated ball of the year. It raised money for charities all over the universe. And while most species didn't celebrate Christmas, they still showed holiday cheer and joined up for one large shindig.

The door to my apartment rang. I looked around to make sure that everything was clean, (I was kind of a neat freak,) and smiled at my immaculate apartment. I didn't get to spend much time in it, but I kept it nice just in case my boyfriend decided to pick me up.

Like now.

I opened my front door to see the most handsome Marine ever to walk the earth standing outside my apartment. His evening dress uniform was like a tux, but with tails, gold ribbing, and navy blue all over. It stretched across his shoulders, his thighs, and his hips... He was holding his white officer's hat in his hands and looked at me with a fire in his eyes. It said, _'I want to eat you.'_ And I would have been okay with it.

"You look..._wow_."

I smirked and leaned into him for a kiss. "Still a man of words, I see."

"You know it, _Bonita_. Ready to go?"

I grabbed my clutch and pushed my big hair out of my eyes. "Ready as I'll ever be."

oOo

The ball was as big as he'd imagined. There were at least nine hundred influential males and females of different species wandering the Galleria, the largest ballroom on the Presidium. Gold and silver tapestries were strung around the ceiling. Phantom lights floated through the air, giving a bright look to the entire room. Everyone was wearing their best—weather it be asari Matriarch dress, turian Primarch-style clothing, and human dresses that barely covered skin that ranged from pale to dark to green to blue.

Garrus walked through the doors, Tuntau on his arm. She looked splendid in her deep red dress. Fabric draped around her cowl, tightening down around her carapace and flowing out from around her hips. The fabric didn't cover her long, red-gold legs, only her hips, and the excess fabric was like a cape for her legs. Golden feathers protruded from behind her head.

Being a photographer, she had to look good...and take pictures at the event. Around her neck hung a camera that he was sure cost more than one of his paychecks—even with the bonus from being the "face of C-Sec."

"Smile, Garrus," she said with amusement in her sub-harmonics. "You're at the party of the century." Her green eyes sparkled as she put her arm in his and smiled at a camera pointed her way. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he replied easily as he led her out through the crowd. The bar was long and encompassed the entire side of the ballroom. The dance floor was on the north side, with a stage and plenty of lights, while seating areas lay to the south. "I just hate being collared and having to look a certain way to please the higher-ups."

Tuntau turned to him with a raised eyeplate and tried to look comfortable as she straightened said 'collar.' To anyone else, they looked like a loving couple. But it was much different than that. "Start acting like a turian for once in you life, Garrus," she said with a dangerous tone in her voice. "Do your job, suck up, and you'll get somewhere. Don't you want to be somebody? Get rid of this worthless job and move your way up in the hierarchy?"

Garrus bristled at her comment but let her keep preening. "This _worthless job_ is what got you into the 'party of the century.' I think you'll find that I may complain about it, but I like my job. I like helping people and—"

"Garrus! Tantau!" a familiar female voice called out. The two of them stiffly turned away from each other, ignoring the tense air around them as Mia Luna-Bailey and James Vega walked up to them. James was decked out in his N3 Officer's uniform, looking rather put together, and Mia looked...well, Mia looked good.

She was wearing what looked like a mix of asari and human fashion. It was a golden dress, one that came up in a trutleneck and cut off right before hitting her bony shoulders. It clung to her curves and ran all the way down to her high-heeled covered feet, a long slit up the side stopping at her hip.

He was surprised that she would show her skin, seeing how uncomfortable she'd been when he had seen it. But she seemed fine with her scarred legs...proud, even. He wondered if she had worked through it or if this was something she did sometimes.

But she held her head high. Her 'hair' was in curls that cascaded down her back, raised up high and rather fluffy. She had rather beautiful golden makeup that accentuated her tanned skin, along with a maroon lipstick that made her lips look bigger.

"Mia," Tuntau said with a flutter to her mandibles. Garrus then heard the angry, shocked sub-harmonics as the female smelled Garrus's scent on Mia. She then gave the dirtiest glare and stormed off with camera in hand,

"Well, damn," Garrus sighed, rubbing a hand over the back of his cowl. He hadn't even thought about how long it would take for his scent to wear off of Mia. Normally, on a turian, it would last a week or two. For humans, he'd hoped it would go away sooner than that. Then again, he _had_ remarked her when they'd gone after Harkin on that side mission. Now things were awkward.

"What's her _problema?_" James asked, looking past Mia with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a turian thing." He knew that he would have to fix that, but he couldn't bring himself to deal with her at the moment. Garrus sighed and turned to Mia, giving her another glance. "You look good, Probee."

"You don't look too bad yourself, partner." Garrus was in a traditional turian suit, having been given some of the most expensive clothes by a company that wanted endorsed. He'd even sharpened his talons, shined his fringe, and redid his colony paint for the party. "You almost look good enough for that damned photo shoot we have in the next ten minutes."

"Photo shoot?" Vega asked, a saddened, 'puppy dog' look, as the humans would call it. "Babe, I thought we had the night to ourselves! Not _work_."

Mia looked apologetic, but Garrus understood the reason why she hadn't told her significant other. "James, I—"

"I'm going to go get a drink," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You two enjoy working."

Mia groaned and held her head. "This night...is going to just get better, isn't it?"

oOo

"Hey, Mia," Garrus said, touching her shoulder. She looked at him questioningly until he pointed upwards.

The two of them were standing below mistletoe. Mia's eyes widened rather amusingly, her face paling as she looked back at Garrus. "I-I...uh..."

"Go on, Mia," James laughed, his thick arms crossed over his equally thick chest. "He's just your partner." His unspoken words: _'He's just a turian.'_

They'd just gotten done with an hour of photo shoots. Between news shows asking about their clothes and reporters for fashion magazines asking about the five pounds Mia lost, both of them had instantly found the bar...and the mistletoe, apparently.

She leaned in closer, glaring at Garrus, and growled him, "I don't like _pointy things_ around my _sensitive areas!_"

He found himself still smirking as he leaned in equally as close and rumbled, "I don't bite...much."

She groaned and hit him in the shoulder, her entire face going human-blood red. Obviously embarrassed, she downed her whiskey and coke and coughed a little. "I'm not comfortable with this."

"I thought you said it was human tradition," Tuntau joked, although Garrus could hear the jealous sub-harmonics humming below her voice.

Mia rolled her eyes and stood in front of Garrus, putting her hands on her hips and looking up at him. "Well then, we can't break tradition."

Garrus almost groaned when her soft lips touched against his mouth. He hadn't expected it to be soft, warm, and moist. A kiss wasn't personal, he had to remember that. Even when he wanted to grab her as she pulled away. It'd only been for a moment. Chaste, even. But his mandibles were still fluttering.

Tuntau hummed at him, trying to get his attention. When he wouldn't look at her, she growled low and walked away.

"Did I do that?" Mia asked, sounding guilty.

"Her?" Garrus asked nonchalantly. "No. We weren't too strong, anyway. I've done a lot to make her angry."

James nodded, like he understood. "Want me to go talk to her?"

"If it makes you sleep better at night."

oOo

"Hey, Mia...I'm getting ready to head home," James said with a kiss to my temple. "Did you want to come?" I looked out on the Presidium at night, lights glowing and people living it up on the day before the new year.

I knew what he wanted. It was what every man wanted on New Years—a woman to warm his bed and his heart. But I didn't feel like I could do that for him. I couldn't trust him with myself—with him, I felt like I needed to be perfect and an obedient little girlfriend, then fiance, then wife. That's what James wanted, but it wasn't what I could give.

"No," I said simply, listening to the partiers starting to count down the earthen New Year. "I'm feeling a little down."

"Something I can help with?" He put an arm around my shoulders and started running his fingers over my shoulder. "Hey, hey, cheer up, _Bonita._"

How could I cheer up when I knew that I would have to leave this beautiful man? I didn't want to hurt him, but there was no way that I could continue on with this charade. I couldn't, nor would I ever be able to, show him my true self or anything about me. "Where do you see this going, James?"

Stiffening a little, James took his arm from around me and turned me to face him. His beautiful hazel eyes searched mine. "What do you mean?"

"Do you see a family...kids? Marriage, a big blue house with white shutters in the suburbs back on Earth?"

My boyfriend blinked and stared at me for a moment before he rubbed the back of his head and looked away awkwardly. "Well, uh...yeah. A kid or two, a nice stable government job. Isn't that what you want?"

I should have wanted that. But I couldn't see myself as that wife he wanted—going to military balls, showing up at charity dinners...it wasn't me. "No," I said simply, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

Obviously taken aback, he stood there, stunned. He cleared his throat and his big, puppy-dog eyes pleaded with me. "So, you're telling me that you don't see us going anywhere." It wasn't even a question.

I nodded and couldn't meet his eyes. "You're an amazing man, James I know you'll find someone...it's just not me."

I figured that he would leave, that he would just give me up and never speak to me again, like all the others. But he didn't. He pulled me into his arms and set his chin on top of my head. His entire body engulfed me as I sniffed back tears. "Hey, hey, no tears. We had a good run, _Bonita._ But you've gotta let someone in. It obviously wasn't me. I don't know who it is, but you'll have to let them know _you_."

I groaned and threw my arms around him, not even making it close to engulfing him. "Why are you so _perfect_?"

A kiss touched my forehead and he pulled away. "I try, _Bonita..._I try."

oOo

He found her later, all alone, standing on the balcony. It was two in the morning and most everyone had gone home.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Garrus looked over at her. She was breathtakingly stunning, even for a human, in her long gold evening gown. The white fur coat on her shoulders highlighted her tanned skin, making her brown eyes shine with specks of gold. "What?"

Those eyes glanced over at him, a soft smile playing on her lips. Her breath was freezing in the air in front of those lips. "The stars."

He looked up, trying to see what made her like the stars so much. Yes, they were burning balls of energy millions of light years apart from each other. He understood that female humans thought that they were beautiful, like diamonds from their world. "And?"

Mía gave a small 'giving up' huff and wrapped her arms around herself. "Never mind. I don't know if you'd understand."

Garrus took a step forward, placing his hands on the railing behind her as he moved closer. She could at least give him a chance to listen to whatever she was about to say. He looked down into her eyes, barely a breath away, and said, "Try me."

The smile that lit up her face was worth it. She put one frail hand on his neck gently, as if she were afraid she would startle him. Then she broke eye contact and looked up, giving him a view of her long, cloth-covered neck. The predator in him wanted to latch down on her jugular, but the turian in him knew that it was taboo to bite a—well, not that he thought of her that way—lover.

Her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. He was embarrassed to notice that he had been humming with his harmonics softly. She didn't seem to have been paying attention. Or perhaps she couldn't hear them. "Have you ever looked into the stars and thought how _easy_ and _simple _it would be to get lost up there?"

Garrus looked up and tried to see what she saw. Maybe humans saw a different luminosity to the stars, or maybe they saw brighter colors. All he saw was stars and endless space. But the look in her eyes made him want to see the stars the way that she saw them. He wanted to see a better tomorrow as she saw it. But with people like Saren, like Fist...it was hard to see.

"Yeah," he said simply, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I think I can."

* * *

**Anyone who can tell me what this quote is from gets a cookie!**

_** "Have you ever looked into the stars and thought how easy and simple it would be to get lost up there?"**_


	14. Mission

**Alright, my lovlies! This is the last chapter of Part I. I plan on having four parts to this bad boy! Unfortunately, I don't have most of two written yet. (But I do have a lot of three done, strangely.) So, after this chapter, I will make this story "complete" until I'm ready to update with Part II - Boarding the Normandy. I'd say it won't take me longer than a month or two to churn out the last of the chapters running around in my head. Until then, live long and prosper!**

**Oh...wrong story. Whatever! **

* * *

**Mission**

It was a normal day at the office. Well, normal in the fact that Charles and Darwin were gossiping by the water cooler, Chellik thought that he was the best-of-the-best, and Garrus was, once again, late. So I started setting up everything for our hearing, which wasn't too far away.

It was actually closer than I had planned, unfortunately. Pallin came out of his office and stood in front of my desk, an almost resigned look in his eye. Everyone else in the room quickly cleared out. "Can...can I help you, Executor?"

He took a deep breath, stood up straight, and started pacing in front of my desk. "Where's Garrus?"

Well, I couldn't exactly tell Pallin that Garrus was late. So I said, "He's running an errand. We ran out of room on my data pad and he's getting me an extension. Why, is something up?"

"There has been an..._incident..._at Eden Prime." I'd never seen Pallin so agitated. Whereas normally it would have been funny, this wasn't comical in the slightest. "Those in participation on Eden Prime are now coming back to Council Space. It has to deal with your investigation, but you won't have much time after you speak with them to get your priorities in order. They have a meeting with the Council to judge Saren."

"_What?_" I asked incredulously, standing up. I looked at Pallin, through his paint and his fancy clothing, to see that he was telling the truth. "Give us more time! Stall them!"

His predatory eyes gleamed under the awful lighting in the office. "Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Bailey."

"Give me more time, Pallin!" I cried as he walked away, slamming my hand on the desk. "Damn it!"

Everything I'd worked for the past two months, from the information I'd gathered to finally starting to like my partner, was ruined. I fell to my seat and laid my head on the table, not bothering with calling those involved on Eden Prime. What was the _point_? Even Pallin had given up on our mission.

"Officer Luna-Bailey?" a very masculine voice asked above me. I debated leaving my head on the desk and ignoring the man, then realized that that would be rude and I was acting like a big crybaby. My mission wasn't over _yet_, damn it!

"Don't mind me," I said as I slowly raised my head, "I'm just wallowing in self-pity. How can I help you?"

The man in front of me didn't look like he needed help. He was about six foot three with a rather large muscular build, that of which was covered in the highest-grade armor I'd seen in a while. He was even armed to the teeth! His face was set with striking cheek bones, a strong jaw, and a cute nose. His hair, military short, was black, as were his thick eyebrows over his pretty blue eyes. "I am Commander Shepard. I was told that you were working the mission against Saren."

"And that brings us to why I was wallowing in pity." I stood up and reached across the desk, shaking his rather sturdy hand. "Mía Luna-Bailey, at your service." I noticed that he was an _N7_. I hadn't seen one of those on the Citadel in a while. I motioned for him to take a seat but he shook his head.

"We should go somewhere more...private."

I didn't like the idea of interviewing this man without Garrus there, but our investigation was winding down to a close. _Damn it, where is that stupid turian?_ "_Si_, come with me."

I finally had clearance into the meeting room. I let the VI scan me and then motioned for the Commander to go in before me. The door closed behind us and I made sure that it was locked. When I turned back around, Shepard was leaning against the table, his arms folded over his chest as he stared at me. It didn't make me uncomfortable, just confused. He looked as if he couldn't understand something. "You look familiar."

He probably knew me from Akuze. I really didn't want to bring that up at the moment, though. I stared at him harder and then realized that I was standing in front of the hero of the Skyllian Blitz. So I just said, "Second Lieutenant in the Alliance Navy. Grew up on Arcturus Station. Navy brat, just like you, Commander."

His quizzical blue eyes kept staring , almost looking straight into me. "What's a soldier like you doing at C-Sec?"

"Fighting the good fight, one step at a time." I took a deep breath and stayed standing since he was, taking out my omni-tool and setting it to record. "What was it you wanted to talk about, sir?"

"Call me Shepard," he said sincerely, and I didn't hear any innuendo or forwardness in his voice. He was just used to be called Shepard was all. "I wanted to talk to you about Saren."

I nodded, putting on my serious face. "I haven't found much, but what I have found can be incriminating with the right information. What do you have?"

"My crew and I were sent on a regular bag-and-tag mission. But there was a Spectre on board. And we took the Normandy SR-1."

"That makes no sense," I said, wishing that my omni-tool wouldn't record my voice as well. "Why would they send you on a pick up mission in one of the best cruisers the Alliance has?"

His look told me it all. There was a haunted look there, one that told me of many battles, many kills, and heartbreak as well. "It wasn't just a pick up mission. Geth were on Eden Prime. And so was Saren. He killed the Spectre we had on board."

I cursed under my breath, and whispered, "I knew it! That's where all of the stolen weapons went! I traced them to Eden Prime. Saren's been giving weapons to the Geth."

"Not only that, he's created an army."

I almost couldn't contain the feelings in me. Between the anger, the relief, and the building pressure of a panic attack, I couldn't believe it. I was so close to bringing Saren in that I could _taste_ it. "Do you have a plan?"

Shepard nodded, his face becoming dark. "I went to talk to the Council, but I was shot down. Saren was there in hologrammed spirit, saying that the Spectre he murdered was a friend. They completely dismissed our claims and let Saren go free."

I clenched my fists. "So?"

"I learned from Harkin that—"

"_Harkin?!_" I shouted, standing up and slamming my hands against the table. "Why in hell's name did you talk to that swine?"

Shepard looked very confused and a little wary of me. The fact that he'd talked to Harkin, probably hearing some negative things about me and my partner, made him a threat and he'd damned well better be wary! "I got a tip that he could point me to some information on Saren. He told me to look for Vakarian and Luna-Bailey, that's all. And then I found you."

I held a hand to my head, hoping that all of this wouldn't bring on a migraine. "Harkin is a no-good, dirty loser who deserved to be dismissed from the Force. I wouldn't recommend using him for information again."

He nodded seriously. "Noted."

A sigh left my lips. "My partner and I have been looking into a man that may have all the information we need—Fist."

"I've heard of him," Shepard said off-handedly, a disgusted look in his eyes. "He's a criminal hiding under money. He's weak."

Shepard obviously knew about the Citadel and even our adversaries. So it was no surprise that he understood what I said next. "We aren't allowed to go after him, per our Executor's orders."

"You aren't," he said simply, a gleam in his eyes. "But I am."

I stared at him for a moment, debating what I needed to do in order to get this to work. How I could get Saren at any cost. So, I took my badge off my belt and weighed it in my hand. I'd worked so hard to get that badge...but it wasn't helping me get the bad guy. I put it down on the table and looked Shepard in his pretty blue eyes. "Well then, Commander...let's go get him."

**oOo**

We walked out of that room with determination...almost getting run over by a krogan in the process. A few of my fellow C-Sec officers were restraining him and holding guns at him. Most of them were humans, and one of them was Jason Todd, one of my initiate comrades and friends from Arcturus. I hadn't seen him in a while, not since the Chora's Den incident a month ago.

"Jason, what's going on?" I asked him, grasping his arm and pulling him to the side.

He had a serious face on as he pulled his arm out of my hand. "This is my business, Mia." He turned back to the Krogan and said, "Witneses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him."

"I don't take orders from you," the krogan said menacingly, leaning in to Jason's face. This krogan was larger than most of them that I remembered seeing. He had a red crest, red eyes, and three long gauges along his scaly face. Krogan reminded me of turtles.

Jason's dark face leaned into the krogan's. I'd never seen such a sneer on his face before. "This is your only warning, Wrex."

"You should warn _Fist_," Wrex growled, his beady eyes moving around in reptilian eye sockets. "I _will_ kill him."

Having just recently put down my badge, this krogan struck me as a really, _really_ good ally to have. I tried to step in front of Jason, but he put his arm out, glared at me, and then glared at the krogan and asked, "Do you _want_ me to arrest you?"

Wrex laughed and bared his dull, short teeth. "I want you to try!"

"Leave him alone, Jason," I said, giving my friend an elbow to the ribs. "You can't convict him with threats. Actions speak louder than words."

"Mia, don't steal my thunder," Jason growled under his breath, his hazel eyes looking rather furious with me. "This is my gig."

"And I'm apprehending your main suspect," I whispered to him, giving him a wink.

"Do I know you, human?" Werex asked in his deep, gravelly voice. I almost compared it to Garrus's before I realized that I would never find a voice as perfect as Garrus's. He looked me up and down with a disgust that made me want to punch him in his big, turtle head.

Shepard obviously saw this and stepped in. "My name's Shepard and this is Luna-Bailey. We're going after Fist and we thought that you might want to come along."

The krogan's eyes widened as he looked between the two of us. "Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. Not your pet, though." Shepard caught my arm before I could charge, which was probably a good idea. I wouldn't have been sure which one of us would have won, anyway. "Ha! Female's got spunk! But listen. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. _I'm_ going to kill Fist."

"Sounds good to me," I said with a shrug, getting an incredulous look from Jason.

"Mia! You know as well as I do that we can't touch Fist!"

I looked at him wryly, motioning to my hip where my badge usually sat. "Do you see a badge on me?"

My friend looked pained and confused, which really just made him look constipated. "Mia, if you've gone rogue, I'm going to have to apprehend you."

It really hurt that my friend was saying this to me. I set my jaw and kept the tears out of my eyes. "Oh, _mijho,_ don't even _try_ that with me! I got your ass onto the Force and I can take you out of it if I have to!"

Jason bit his tongue to keep from spewing anything at me. He knew that I had dirt on him that I could pull at any time. Not that I _would_, but it still kept him nice and obedient. I hated having to pull it over his head like that. "Mia...don't do something you'll regret."

"I'm not," I said simply, starting to walk away from him. "I'm just getting the bad guy."

"Let's go," Wrex said with a laugh, grinding a fist into one of his palms. "I'd hate to keep Fist waiting."

**oOo**

"I didn't tell _anyone!_"

"Let her go," I said softly, putting my gun to the side and holding my hands up in an innocent gesture. My heart was beating so fast, I felt like I was going to throw up. I'd never been in a hostage situation before. If I made one wrong move, my friend would die. And so would I.

_Well, this turned into a good side errand._ I'd just been going to get some meds for my wounds that Garrus had given me weeks ago, which still weren't healed, from my good friend Chloe Michel. I wasn't infiltrating an enemy's base with infected thighs. I'd ended up walking in on her being held at gunpoint. _I have the worst timing, I swear._

"That's smart. Now, if your little friend _Garrus_ comes around, it had better stay that way." The man looked at me, his gun still pointed at me, and threw Chloe to the ground. "You," he growled, motioning with his gun, "you're coming with us."

My heart stopped—and, in that second, I heard the faintest sound of angry turian mandibles. _Damn it, Garrus. I have this under control. Kind of._ "I'm C-Sec," I said lowly, trying to threaten him. "If I disappear, my partner will try to find me." That was also code for, 'let them take me and follow me later,' but I realized that Garrus probably wouldn't catch it.

His lackey grabbed my wrists roughly, wrenching them behind my back. I refrained from making any noises. I could already hear how angry Garrus was by the sounds of his mandibles. If he wasn't careful, the others would hear him, wouldn't they? Or was it just because I'd been stuck with the guy for months that I could tell what the sound of his mandibles meant?

Suddenly I was thrown against a wall and felt a gun pressed against my head. The leader of the group, _Darius, I think_, was once again holding Chloe with a gun to her head. "—who the hell are you?!" he screamed, but I couldn't see anything from my position.

"Let them go!" came a masculine voice, hopefully someone from C-Sec. Or maybe someone else after Chloe, if I wasn't as lucky.

Suddenly I heard gunshots, but it couldn't have been the new people. It sounded like the Stiletto IV I gave Garrus for Christmas. The man holding the gun to my head dropped, but not before giving the butt of his gun a good whack against the side of my head.

I fell against the wall, clutching the bloody bump that was already forming. Beside me I could see Chloe with her face showing surprise. _That's only two, Garrus,_ I thought, trying to breathe correctly. _There are two more._

A presence came by me, so I looked up, seeing a blurry Chloe brushing her hand on the side of my face. "Mía, oh, God..."

I rested my head on her shoulder, trying to regulate my breathing. My teeth were gritted against the pain. "I've had worse," I told her, trying to sound casual. It must not have been working. "Look, they got blood on my new dress."

She gave a little whimper as gunfire kept screaming between Garrus, his unknown allies, and Fist's two guys. "Don't joke around like that, please," she begged, her bright green eyes pleading with me. She was beautiful, with flaming red hair in a bob and freckled white skin. Her voice was pretty sexy, which added to her appeal to most of my guy friends. "Did he hit you anywhere else?"

I shook my head, grateful when she stared applying the Medigel from her omni-tool to mine. I instantly started to feel relief. My vision cleared but the world was still a little topsy-turvy. Also, the gun fire had stopped.

Garrus was instantly at my side. His familiar smell and hands were around me. "Mía," he said softly, picking me up and pulling me against him. He was holding me up with one arm, his mandibles clicking in sympathy. "How bad is it?"

"I'll live." I really had obtained worse, not that it didn't hurt. Because it did. Like a mother.

My partner tightened his hold on me, holding me up against his armored chest. I fit perfectly against his side, so I closed my eyes against the nausea burning in my throat and leaned against him. "You'd better. You still owe me that shoot-out." I smiled, my eyes still closed, and settled into a rhythm of breathing. He then started talking to whomever else was in the room. "Perfect timing," he said in that usual 'I am better than you' voice. "Gave me a clear shot at those bastards. Thanks, stranger."

I got a good look at this man, our unexpected ally, and realized that he was Shepard. "What were you thinking?" he asked, his high forehead creased in irritation. "You could've hit the hostages!"

"Yeah," I groaned, punching Garrus in the chest. He made a sort of low growl in his chest that sounded affronted. Although I knew that he would have never missed the shot. "You could have hit the hostages!"

"There wasn't time to think," Garrus said in his defense, leading me to the closest chair. I kept wobbling, so he probably didn't want to hold me up anymore. "I just reacted. They had Mía pinned down, though why the stupid female thought that letting them take her was a better idea than—"

"You always get to be a stupid male," I scoffed, closing my eyes and shaking my head to try and clear up my vision. "Let me have a shot every so often."

I heard Shepard's voice next. It was kind of deep and slightly monotone, no where near as pretty as Garrus's. "Do you two know each other?"

"Partners," we both said a the same time, glancing at each other with a smirk. We could admit it now, whereas in the past, we would have avoided ever mentioning the word.

"At C-Sec," I offered up, noticing the extreme look of shock and hatred on one of Shepard's teammate's faces. She was pretty, in a military fashion, with big lips, dark hair, and rather pretty eyes. But I could instantly tell what a xenophobe she was. The other teammate was a male, rather handsome, with big brown eyes, thick black hair, and dark olive skin stretched over a rather beautiful body. I wasn't sure where Wrex had gone. "We've been together for a few months, now."

Obviously, Shepard still wasn't getting it. "Garrus Vakarian," my partner offered up, holding out a hand. "Thanks for coming to check on Mia. She tends to find trouble wherever she goes."

Shepard and Garrus shook hands, Garrus's mandibles fluttering with what I guessed was a little bit of male pride when both Shepard and his male teammate looked impressed. Shepard then nodded, looking at me, then at Chloe. "I take it that your friend is Dr. Chloe Michel?"

"Yes." I'd almost forgotten that Chloe had been in the fight. I then turned to my friend, perched behind my chair, and said, "Chloe, are you hurt?"

She exhaled through her pretty pink lips and shook her head. "No. Thanks to all of you, I'm okay." Her petite hand landed on my shoulder, so I grabbed her hand and held it tightly in mine. It'd been close. Too close for my comfort, but both of us were alive and I was glad for the fact.

"I know those men threatened you," Shepard said to her, his blue eyes pleading handsomely with hers, "but if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you."

I shook my head, wondering how this man had even gotten down here in the first place. "She's already under my protection. Turns out I'm pretty bad at it."

Shepard looked at me once more, a little closer. He must have seen that I was injured. "Kaiden," he said softly, motioning his head to me, "patch her up. She took a good blow to the head."

Garrus almost took a possessive step forward, but I noticed that he stopped in time and even stepped to the side, letting the handsome, olive-skinned man past. He pulled out some supplies from a pouch on his waist. "You were the soldier who survived Akuze," he said simply, starting to clean the side of my head with something that stung. "You're _that_ Mía."

I hissed as it burned a little, trying to ignore the tightness in my throat. I could get over it. Somehow. "Yes."

"You're a brave woman," he said simply, smiling softly at me with beautiful white teeth and thick, full lips.

I tried to smile back to him, but it didn't work. So instead I let my hand touch his, which was resting on the side of my head. "I have to be, for everyone around me." I then looked to Chloe, who was shaking, so I took her hand. She couldn't tell them who they were working for without thinking of getting hurt...but I could. "They work for Fist," I said to Shepard, hoping to keep Chloe from taking any of the blame from Fist or his men. This way, they would only come after me. I heard an irritated click from Garrus, so I knew that he knew what I was doing.

Shepard looked at me with irritatedly. "_That's_ why you came down here?"

I hated to admit it, but he was right. It wasn't just for my errand. "Well...I had to be sure that what we were doing was the right lead. We don't have a lot of time, so it was best we split up. Besides, I did need that medicine. I don't know what they wanted Chloe for."

Suddenly my friend blurted, "They wanted to keep me from telling you and Garrus about the Quarian."

"Obviously this has something to do with the investigation into Saren, Skipper," the woman on Shepard's team said, holding her hand a little too close to her gun for my comfort.

I hadn't known about a Quarian. There were a few hundred on the Citadel, either away from the Flotilla or on their Pilgrimages. There were a lot of them who were thought of as petty thieves. A lot of xenophobes tried to turn Quarians in on false charges. I was always nice and fair to the scared children. "Tell me about it, Chloe."

Chloe, encouraged by my squeeze of her hand, took a deep breath and started pacing, like she always did when she was nervous. "A few weeks ago, a Quarian came here. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

I tried to watch her pace, but Kaiden nicely asked me to stop moving my head so he could get a good bandage in place. I was sure I looked like a well-done mummy. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was scared," she said quietly, not able to look me in the eye.

Shepard nodded, obviously sympathetic to Chloe's plight. "Where is the Quarian now?"

"I...I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

Garrus, who had been watching Kaiden put on my bandage, now looked up with anger in his eyes. "Not anymore. Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."

"That's why Barla Von was able to give us that information," I breathed, so shocked in having a real foot into this investigation that I leaned back and stared at Garrus for a moment. "Saren got on the Shadow Broker's bad side. But why would Fist betray the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made a damn good offer." I'd seen Fist once before. Actually, I'd seen him _and_ met his human-humping turian bodyguard who'd tried to solicit me on the dance floor in Chora's Den. He was stupid and arrogant, both of which were bad traits to have in the kind of business he ran. He was also a slimy coward.

Garrus smirked at me, making me smile back. "So that Quarian must have something that Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get."

"Also, she said something about the Geth," Chloe said quickly, looking relieved to have remembered that information.

"She must be able to link Saren to the Geth!" I said excitedly, sitting up too quickly and making the room spin a little.

"The Council can't ignore us now, Mía," Garrus said softly, putting his hand on my shoulder. "We did it."

I still felt a swell of pride when he said 'we' or 'us.' "Not quite yet, _compadre. _We still have to find the Quarian."

Shepard nodded, giving a smirk to both of us. "Time we paid Fist a visit."

I took a deep breath, thanking Kaiden and letting him return to Shepard. Now that I'd found everything I needed, I knew that I needed to follow Shepard if I wanted the job done. "Now that our investigation has reached its climax, this is your show, Shepard," I said softly, hoping that Garrus wouldn't hate me for what I was about to say. "But I want to take down Saren as much as you do. I've read the reports." He looked surprised, probably because those reports were rather classified. "I'm coming with you."

Shepard nodded and even gave a little smile. "The hero of Akuze is welcome on my team any day."

I smiled sadly, wishing that it would quit being brought up. I looked over at my partner and tried to think things through now that I'd set a rolling ball into action down a steep hill. I'd thought that Garrus would be angry, or even shout at me. Instead I turned to see him with a rather pleased expression on his face. "And she gets lost so easily, I'll have to follow along to make sure she doesn't accidentally wander off and, I don't know...get held hostage by thugs again."

I elbowed him in the stomach, but I was secretly glad that he had decided to join me. "One time, it happens _one time_ and I'm stuck with it for life." Now I just had to see if Shepard agreed.

"You're a turian," Shepard said with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you want to bring him down?"

I'd asked Garrus the same question. Not that I'd thought he was against humans or anything, but a turian against a turian was rare. "I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation, but I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!"

Shepard smiled and held out his hand, first to Garrus, then to me. His hand was strong and confident, exactly the way I would picture the Commander from the Skyllian Blitz to be. "Welcome aboard, Garrus. Mía. You start tomorrow."

* * *

**Don't forget to keep following! More chapters are soon to follow!**


End file.
